Analysts say that leaves the U.S. military stretched thin.
"For years we've had a strategy that says we'll do A, B and C, but only the funding available to do A. And we never made the strategy and the resources line up together," said Jacob Cohn of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
The administration says Trump has successfully pressed European allies to spend more money on their own defense a longtime U.S. goal. During his trip to Asia last month, Trump also celebrated increased defense spending by American allies Japan and South Korea.
The national security strategy highlights the link between a strong domestic economy and national defense. Administration officials quoted Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has said a strong economy is one of his most powerful weapons.
Trump's concerns with U.S. trade policy are woven throughout the security strategy. One of his first acts as president was to withdraw the U.S. from an Asia-Pacific trade pact, which Trump labeled a bad deal. The president has also called for renegotiating trade agreements with Mexico, Canada and South Korea.
Administration officials insist that cooperation with allies is a cornerstone of the national security strategy, adding that Trump's campaign slogan of "America First" does not mean "America alone."
But Trump on Monday again reiterated his view that the U.S. needs to tighten its immigration policies, and the strategy document lists the "construction of a border wall" as a "priority action."
Critics say the president has diminished America's international standing, by announcing his withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, criticizing the Iran nuclear deal, and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in defiance of United Nations policy.
"It's hard to see how American influence in the world has really increased" since Trump took office, "and in most areas it's probably decreased," said Dan Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. "If you look at polling evidence, there is greater hostility across the rest of the world to positions of U.S. foreign policy."
Drezner notes that other countries continue to move forward with the climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Asia-Pacific trade pact, despite U.S. opposition.
He sees little foundation for Trump's boast of greater "respect" on the international stage, other than personal flattery.
"What other countries have figured out, and this has been remarkably successful, is that Donald Trump views foreign policy through an entirely personal lens," Drezner said. "If he is treated well, he interprets that as America and American interests being treated well, even if that's not necessarily the case."