Highlights

– The Pentagon cited the war against global extremism as its top priority
– While much emphasis is placed on mastering irregular warfare, potential conventional threats from Russia and China will not be ignored
– The new Defense Strategy is further evidence of emphasis on counterinsurgency warfare

On July 31, 2008, the Pentagon issued a new United States (US) National Defense Strategy (NDS). The new strategy updates a document issued in 2005 under then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The NDS serves as the Department of Defense’s (DoD) capstone document for long-term goals and efforts. It provides a framework for other DoD strategic guidance, particularly on campaign and contingency planning, force development, and intelligence. In addition, the NDS addresses how the US Armed Forces will fight and win wars, as well as how to seek to work with and through partner nations to enhance security and avert conflict in the international arena.

Objectives

The National Defense Strategy indicates the US military needs to be prepared to fight a variety of adversaries, current and potential. However, the emphasis of the document reflects two themes Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been promoting since he took office more than one and a half years ago, including the need to maintain and improve the ability to fight global insurgencies and the need to bring all aspects of government power to bear in the effort, not just the military.

The document emphasizes that, 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. Such violent extremist movements, including al-Qaeda, comprise a complex and urgent challenge, as the adherents reject state sovereignty, ignore borders, and attempt to deny basic human rights when they gain power. The NDS says that defeating violent extremism is the central objective of the US because it threatens “free and open societies.”

However, the strategy makes it clear that the fight is not only through the use of the military, but requires all elements of national power and partnerships with old and new allies. In the NDS, the war against extremism is referred to as the “long war.”

The NDS indicates the US remains concerned about local and regional conflicts, as they often spread and may enhance transnational problems such as human trafficking, the illegal drug trade, terrorism, and arms trafficking. Rogue states and extremist groups tend to seek and exploit instability caused by regional conflict, as a state collapse or the emergence of ungoverned areas ultimately creates safe havens for criminal groups. To prevent this from occurring, the NDS emphasizes the importance of working with like-minded states and building internal capacities to deny extremists and other hostile parties sanctuary.

Despite the strong emphasis on fighting insurgencies and irregular warfare, the NDS says the US must maintain its ability to deter and defeat rogue states, specifically referring to Iran and North Korea. In addition, the US military must remain prepared for potential threats from more powerful states, such as Russia and China.

In regards to China, the new strategy pledged a “continuous strategic dialogue with China” in an effort to reduce the risk of miscalculating the potential threat of Beijing’s military buildup. In addition to China’s massive military buildup, Russia’s retreat from democracy and its increasing economic and political intimidation of its neighbors has caused concern among US officials.

Future Outlook

In the coming years, the new NDS makes it clear that the “long war” against extremism is the top priority of the US military.
The strategy helps establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills acquired in Iraq and Afghanistan within a defense community that is heavily in favor of conventional and strategic modernization programs. While the US is committed to maintaining its conventional supremacy over rival countries, the NDS is further evidence of the shift occurring in the Pentagon’s strategy of mastering irregular warfare comparable to that which it possesses in conventional combat.

The new document seeks to achieve a balance between the two endeavors. While conventional and strategic force modernization programs will continue to be strongly supported in the services and Congress, there needs to be a strong commitment and emphasis on the importance of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, as the US will be focused on fighting “small wars” in the foreseeable future.