Draining the Swamp: Prerequisites for Future U.S. National Security Strategy and Force Structure
Abstract
Two opposing views have emerged in the current political debate over U.S. military force composition. One advocates downsizing to reduced threats, the other proposes a base force to match regional capabilities. While both approaches have merit, the real issue is framing a consensus of the American pluralistic democracy for U.S. military force employment in the post-Cold War world. Military leaders can stimulate the debate by proposing a long-range vision and the vital interests for which it is both morally correct and worth the cost to defend with military force. After discussing current national strategies, this paper proposes an alternative long-range vision of a world of decreasing American hegemony where international bodies (i.e., United Nations) play increasingly dominant roles in conflict resolution, where resources are more equitably distributed among nation-states, and where military force is primarily applied in a coalition context. Until that state is reached, however, the United States, as the only remaining superpower, will also require military force both unilaterally and in support of standing alliances. A U.S. military consistent with that long-range vision would be smaller than the currently proposed base force, but still capable of global power projection to a major regional contingency.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA258374
Entities
People
- Michael D. Besancon
Organizations
- Air War College