A Third World Threat and the United States Marine Corps (Pelli)
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to take an accepted military policy assumption, change it, and evaluate the effect this change has on the Marine Corps in the next 30 years. This new assumption is actually one that is presently being wrestled with by senior American policy makers within the Administration, Congress, the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps. Recent warming of East-West relations, the slow democratization of Eastern Europe and the upheaval in the Soviet Union are just a few of the changes that are presently reshaping the international scene. Nationally, the United States is faced with a significant budget deficit. Budgeting constraints and increased economic competition with other nations coupled with the changing international picture have caused U.S. leaders to begin to reevaluate the entire national military strategy. This reevaluation has resulted in an emphasis on global stability principally focused on the Third World. The thesis of this paper is that the Third World is now the primary threat to U.S. interests. This is not really a change to an accepted military policy assumption. However, this is a new assumption for the Nation, one that it has yet to come to grips with fully. The impact of the "new" reality is not yet known. It has resulted in important changes within the Department of Defense, already. The military services are just beginning to determine what the impact of the changing global picture will mean. With the diminution of the Soviet threat and the supposed end to the Cold War, all of the services are searching for new roles and missions in an effort to maintain their viability and hold on to cherished funds, weapon systems and programs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA527883
Entities
Organizations
- Marine Corps University