A Balanced Force Structure to Achieve a Liberal World Order
Abstract
In addition to preexisting threats such as the rise of China, the United States now faces a protracted struggle against Islamist terrorists. The military component of the nation's security strategy requires a balanced force that can be employed across the spectrum of conflict. The Iraqi War has shown that the "1-4-2-1" force-sizing construct -- maintaining a force able to defend the homeland, operate in and from four forward regions, simultaneously defeat two regional adversaries, and achieve a result such as regime change in one of them -- to be unattainable. Primacy is a militarily demanding strategy. But by spending 4.5 percent of GDP on defense and with the right force mix, America will be able to lead coalitions against terrorists, restore order to unstable regions, do peacekeeping in regions of vital interest, deter aggression, and win a war if deterrence fails. Primacy requires flexibility and a force structure able to respond to contingencies across the entire spectrum of conflict. These forces must be able to execute both nuclear and conventional deterrence, undertake constabulary operations, project power to areas of importance, and assure homeland defense. This strategy will require a higher level of defense spending than in the recent past, but primacy remains a bargain nonetheless. After all, U.S. military forces essentially provide an international "public good" by underwriting the security upon which global stability depends. If the U.S. forces that provide this public good are stretched thin because they are under-funded, the result may be a decline in stability and prosperity. World War I illustrated how rapidly the world order can collapse. It was World War I, not the expenditures to maintain the empire, that doomed the British empire. In light of this observation, the U.S. defense burden is significant, but the benefits of the resulting world order far outweigh the costs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA596720
Entities
People
- Mackubin T. Owens
Organizations
- Naval War College