American Primacy and the Defense Spending Crisis
Abstract
There is an emerging consensus both inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that we face a defense budget crisis. It is caused by too few dollars to support both current military operations and the planned modernization of U.S. Armed Forces. But this crisis is only likely to be eased, not solved, if it is thought to be caused by a lack of resources alone. The more basic problem, and the root cause of the current crisis, is that the Nation appears to have no compelling strategic vision that justifies a large-let alone larger-defense budget. After being preoccupied by a single serious threat for more than forty years, America's leaders have been at a loss to explain why significant resources for defense are required absent such a threat. The result has been a shrinking defense budget and a shrinking military capability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA361302
Entities
People
- Gary J. Schmitt
Organizations
- Joint Chiefs of Staff