A New Strategy and Fewer Forces: The Pacific Dimension
Abstract
This report addresses how the United States should reposture its forces, adjust its policies, and change its military operations in the Asia Pacific region, all in the context of reduced resources and increased burden-sharing by allies and other security partners. Six alternative postures are defined, each representing an important attribute of possible different worlds over the next 15 years. These alternative postures are examined for the regional responses they might evoke, their performance in a variety of future contingencies, and their comparative cost. The analysis concludes that the base force posture reflected in the current Future Year Defense Plan is probably the best compromise now for sufficient reassurance of our security partners, deterrence of possible opponents, adequate performance in representative contingencies, and acceptable cost. If threats and uncertainties decline markedly, somewhat lower postures would be acceptable. The analysis suggests that risks start to increase rapidly (risks such as adverse regional responses, breakdown of deterrence, or unsatisfactory contingency performance) at postures below the base force level. An Asia Pacific force posture based on withdrawal to U.S. sovereign bases is not supported by the analysis. The authors recommend a variety of threat reduction, posture enhancement, and hedging measures.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA260685
Entities
People
- James A. Winnefeld
- John Y. Schrader
- Jonathan D. Pollack
- Kevin N. Lewis
- Lynn D. Pullen
- Michael D. Swaine
Organizations
- RAND Corporation