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517 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. 7 (1991)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0517 and id is 1 raw text is: PREFACE For much of this century American defense policy has had as a defining characteristic successive periods of buildup followed by reductions in budgets and force levels. Understandably, such peaks and valleys of defense emphasis have represented responses to actual or perceived changes in the interna- tional security environment and, of course, the extent to which U.S. vital interests were seen to be at risk. Just as the 1980s forms the latest of these eras of defense increases, following the decline in the wake of the Vietnam war, we now find ourselves in the midst of the latest contraction of defense spending and force structure. What differentiates the current decade from the recent past is the extent to which the global setting has been transformed by numerous factors. They encompass the dramatic changes in Europe since 1989, together with the ongoing proliferation of increasingly advanced military capabilities to larger numbers of states. We are in the midst of a transition from the world of the two generations that followed World War II to an as yet not fully defined or discernible future. Such indeterminacy complicates greatly the already for- midable task of planning defense capabilities for the United States. What is certain is the fact that, in the complex security setting of the years leading toward and beyond the beginning of the next century, the United States, far more vulnerable to and linked with the outside world than at any previous time in its history, will confront threats to its security that will be answered by statecraft one of the indispensable components of which will be military capabilities. Hence the need to develop national security strategies and mil- itary doctrines, as well as forces, that are affordable, sustainable, and ade- quate to our needs. The inherent complexity of creating such forces is heightened not only by the uncertainties of a world containing unprecedented numbers of actors who possess highly lethal capabilities and are involved in numerous conflict issues but also by the increasing impact of domestic factors on defense policy, especially in the United States. The formation of public support for whatever defense policy that evolves from the changes of the early 1990s will be indispensable to its ultimate success. In light of such circumstances, it is appropriate to bring together, in diverse forums, persons possessing a range of experience and expertise extending from the official policy community to the private sector, encompassing the professional military and civilian specialists, and including perspectives from academia and industry to address the spectrum of defense issues, options, and priorities for the 1990s. Such is the objective of this issue of The Annals. At the outset, an effort has been made in a contribution by the special editor to survey the major factors that are shaping the security setting for which the United States will find it necessary to develop and deploy forces in the 7