Globalization: Munitions in the 21st Century,
Abstract
My own sense is that what was clear to Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the 20th Century is still true today as America prepares to enter the 21st Century. In every field-politics, economics, technology-we are living in an era of "rich possibilities." Our hopes are symbolized by the emergence of democracy around the globe, by the growth of new global trade relationships, by the expansion of global communications and by the explosion of information. In this era, the term "closed society" is rapidly becoming obsolete. One does not need to look any further than beyond the front page of this morning's Washington Post to see how rich the possibilities are--a physician at Mount Vernon Hospital in Fairfax County was able to have a dictated patient medical summary transcribed within four hours. .. not by the hospital clerical staff in Virginia. .. but by a medical transcriptionist in Bangalore, India using high-speed data lines to throw first the voice recording and then the completed transcript halfway around the globe! But along with these rich new opportunities, there is a dark side of fears: the fear of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the fear of ancient ethnic hatreds ripping apart multiethnic states, the fear of terrorism by extremist groups, and the fear of aggression by rogue nations freed from the constraints of their former Cold War alliances. The security of the United States continues to require us to maintain strong military forces to deter and if necessary, to defeat those who threaten our vital national interests. I also believe that national security-ours and that of our friends and allies-now, and in the future, will increasingly rely on cooperation. The convergence of two trends-increasing likelihood of committing forces to coalition operations and reduced defense budgets-make the case for greater armaments cooperation with friends a
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA339676
Entities
People
- Paul G. Kaminski
Organizations
- Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense