US Department of Defense (January 2012).
The United States has played a leading role in transforming the
international system over the past sixty-five years. Working with
like-minded nations, the United States has created a safer, more stable,
and more prosperous world for the American people, our allies, and our
partners around the globe than existed prior to World War II. Over the
last decade, we have undertaken extended operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan to bring stability to those countries and secure our
interests. As we responsibly draw down from these two operations, take
steps to protect our nation''s economic vitality, and protect our
interests in a world of accelerating change, we face an inflection
point. This merited an assessment of the U.S. defense strategy in light
of the changing geopolitical environment and our changing fiscal
circumstances. This assessment reflects the President's strategic
direction to the Department and was deeply informed by the Department's
civilian and military leadership, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
the Secretaries of the Military Departments, and the Combatant
Commanders. Out of the assessment we developed a defense strategy that
transitions our Defense enterprise from an emphasis on today's wars to
preparing for future challenges, protects the broad range of U.S.
national security interests, advances the Department's efforts to
rebalance and reform, and supports the national security imperative of
deficit reduction through a lower level of defense spending.
This strategic guidance document describes the projected security
environment and the key military missions for which the Department of
Defense (DoD) will prepare. It is intended as a blueprint for the Joint
Force in 2020, providing a set of precepts that will help guide
decisions regarding the size and shape of the force over subsequent
program and budget cycles, and highlighting some of the strategic risks
that may be associated with the proposed strategy.
