A New Division of Labor: Meeting America's Security Challenges Beyond Iraq
Abstract
In January 2005, George W. Bush committed the nation to the extraordinary goal of "ending tyranny in our world." Since then, there has been a storm of debate in the United States and abroad about the appropriateness of this goal as a motivating factor for U.S. foreign policy. To the extent that Americans equate "ending tyranny" with toppling hostile regimes, as in Iraq, and replacing them with new forms of representative government, they are divided on the issue and increasingly suspicious of the prospects for success. But to the extent that Americans see "ending tyranny" as a broader, long-term response to the challenges posed by terrorism rooted in radical interpretations of Islam and the proliferation of destruction, a consensus seems to be emerging that this is an appropriate strategy for the nation and its allies. Should this broader strategy be sustained, it will have far-reaching effects on the institutions of the U.S. Government. This monograph explores the implications of this strategy and of key factors shaping the international security environment for the Department of Defense (DoD). The authors focused on DoD for two key reasons. First, the armed forces of the United States have been used to spearhead this new strategy, and they have achieved important successes. But it is also clear that, in several instances, U.S. armed forces are being called on to perform missions that are well outside their normal repertoire. If these missions represent a more permanent set of demands on the armed forces, more lasting changes need to be considered. Second, DoD is again involved in a major review of strategy, which follows on the recent Quadrennial Defense Review. This review and the period of implementation that will follow it offer the administration the opportunity to consider anew the demands of the international security environment, missions assigned to the armed forces, proper emphasis among those missions, and allocation of resources allotted to them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA467958
Entities
People
- Adam Grissom
- Alan J. Vick
- Andrew R. Hoehn
- David A. Ochmanek
- David A. Shlapak
Organizations
- RAND Corporation