Daily Dose: Budget Cuts Alter National Defense Strategy

For nearly a century, the United States national defense strategy was to have the capabilities to participate in two wars at once, as well as a large military. With budget cuts very much a reality for the Department of Defense, the US is adopting a new strategy. The military will be leaner, meaner, and smaller. Funds for special forces such as the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (the Marine Corps elite forces) will increase, while there will be cuts to the size and scope of the military. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had this to say:

“[The US will have] an adaptable and battle-tested Army … capable of defeating any adversary on land … But at the same time we will emphasize Special Operations forces.”

The Pentagon’s New View of Warfare

The US will focus on strategic defense, such as military drones and special forces, with a particular emphasis on multilateral, limited warfare.

Is this new strategy responsible? Or is the adaptation necessary to defend the United States in an era of guerilla warfare?

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