WASHINGTON - United States defense strategy should be focused primarily in the
short to medium term on unconventional threats, particularly "violent extremist
movements such as al-Qaeda and its associates", while it "hedge[s]" against the
growing military power of "rogue states such as Iran and North Korea" and
potential rivals, notably China and Russia, according to major policy guidance
released on Thursday by Pentagon chief Robert Gates.
In his first National Defense Strategy, Gates also called repeatedly for
maintaining close cooperation with allies, both new and old, a contrast to the
much more unilateralist orientation of
previous Pentagon papers produced under his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld,
especially during the first term of President George W Bush (2001-2005).
"The United States ... must strengthen and expand alliances and partnerships,"
he wrote. "The US alliance system has been a cornerstone of peace and security
for more than a generation and remains the key to our success."
"We cannot prevail if we act alone," Gates wrote in the introduction to the
23-page statement, which also, however, stressed that the US must retain to the
greatest extent possible its "freedom of action in the global commons and
strategic access to important regions of the world to meet our national
security needs".
"The well-being of the global economy is contingent on ready access to energy
resources," according to the document. "Notwithstanding national efforts to
reduce dependence on oil, current trends indicate an increasing reliance on
petroleum products from areas of instability in the coming years, not reduced
reliance."
Throughout the document, Gates also repeatedly stressed the importance of "soft
power" - as opposed to military strength alone - in US defense strategy,
particularly with respect to what has been called "nation-building" and public
diplomacy.
"We as a nation must strengthen not only our military capabilities, but also
reinvigorate other important elements of national power and develop the
capability to integrate, tailor and apply these tools as needed," according to
the report.
"The Department of Defense has taken on many of these burdens ... [and] will
need to institutionalize and retain these capabilities, but this is no
replacement for civilian involvement and expertise," he wrote, echoing appeals
for the US Congress to beef up the State Department and its sub-agencies in
charge of development and public diplomacy that he has made on numerous
occasions over the past nine months.
The publication of the new strategy caps a lengthy process of internal debate
since Gates took over from Rumsfeld in late 2006 on what should be the major
priorities of a Defense Department that is spending more than US$600 billion a
year, that is caught up in costly counter-insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan
for which it is was initially poorly prepared, and that has historically
favored high-tech, big-ticket conventional-weapons systems that have fattened
the balance sheets of its major private contractors.
Gates has argued both inside the Pentagon and in public for giving a much
higher priority to so-called "small wars", that is fighting terrorist
movements, such as al-Qaeda, and insurgencies, such as Afghanistan's Taliban
and various factions within Iraq. He has insisted that, given Washington's
present overwhelming military superiority over any potential rival, such
conflicts pose the most likely threats to US interests and international
stability over at least the next decade or two.
"Overall, the kinds of capabilities we will most likely need in the years ahead
will often resemble the kinds of capabilities we need today," he warned in a
speech two months ago. "What we must guard against is the kind of backsliding
that has occurred in the past, where if nature takes it course, these kinds of
capabilities - that is, counterinsurgency - tend to wither on the vine."
"US predominance in traditional warfare is not unchallenged, but is sustainable
for the medium term given current trends," he noted.
That argument has been contested by a number of senior officers - quietly
backed by major defense contractors whose financial contributions to political
campaigns and widespread geographical distribution guarantee them entree into
Congressional offices on Capitol Hill - who have warned that too great a swing
of the pendulum toward what, after all, is a distinctly low-tech form of
warfare could result in serious vulnerabilities on the conventional front.
As a result, the new document seeks to achieve a balance between the two sides.
Indeed, in releasing the new strategy on Thursday, Gates noted "the reality ...
that conventional and strategic force modernization programs are strongly
supported in the services and in the Congress".
Still, the strategy strongly affirms Gates' emphasis on the importance of
counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, "For the foreseeable future [the
strategic] environment will be defined by a global struggle against a violent
extremist ideology that seeks to overturn the international state system," he
wrote, referring to al-Qaeda and its associates. He referred to that struggle,
as had Rumsfeld, as the "long war".
Comparing that ideology to communism and fascism, he stressed that while "Iran
and Afghanistan remain the central fronts in the struggle", military success in
both countries by itself "will not bring victory".
"The use of force plays a role, yet military efforts to capture or kill
terrorists are likely to be subordinate to measures to promote local
participation in government and economic programs to spur development, as well
as efforts to understand and address the grievances that often lie at the heart
of insurgencies," the document went on.
"For these reasons, arguably the most important component of the struggle
against violent extremists is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we
help prepare our partners to defend and govern themselves."
On other possible threats, the paper singles out China and Russia, as well as
the surviving members of Bush's "axis of evil" - Iran and North Korea - for
special mention.
"China is one ascendant state with the potential for competing with the United
States," according to the document. "For the foreseeable future, we will need
to hedge against China's growing military modernization and the impact of its
strategic choices upon international security." At the same time, he called for
enhanced "engagement" between the two countries' militaries.
And, while Washington shares interests with Russia and "can collaborate with it
in a variety of ways", Moscow's "retreat from democracy and its increasing
economic and political intimidation of its neighbors give cause for concern".
Nonetheless, "We shall seek to anchor China and Russia as stakeholders in the
[international] system," it said. "Similarly, we look to India to assume
greater responsibility as a stakeholder ... commensurate with its growing
economic, military and soft power."
Jim Lobe's blog on US foreign policy, and particularly the
neo-conservative influence in the Bush administration, can be read at http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/.
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