U.S. Military Strategy and Force Posture for the 21st Century. Capabilities andRequirements

摘要

The onset of an entirely new era of international affairs raises profound issuesabout future U.S. military strategy and forces. Clearly, the old Cold War strategy is defunct, but far less clear is the strategy that should replace it. With so many changes unfolding so rapidly, the act of designing a coherent strategy for the years immediately ahead alone is difficult. the difficulties are compounded when the distant future, and its far greater uncertainties, is addressed. What kind of world will we be dealing with ten or twenty years from now, and what level of defense preparedness will be needed. The years ahead cannot be ignored simply because they are uncertain. The United States will need a coherent military strategy for the coming era, and defense policymaking, by its nature, is an exercise in long-range planning. Tomorrow's forces are being decided upon today, and, equally important, U.S. policy actions in the near term will influence the course of international affairs for the long term. For these reasons, strategy analysts must peer into the future and ask: 'What will be required some years from now, and how can we best act today to help bring about the kind of world that we seek tomorrow' To help answer this thorny question, this report addresses U.S. military strategy for the coming two decades.