The American Military in the Twenty First Century

This text assesses the likely roles of US military forces in the international environment of the 21st century and how military roles and missions might be best allocated among the armed services to create a flexible, cost-effective force able to support U.S. national interests. It focuses on the basic functions of the armed forces (for example, defence of the homeland, projection of power abroad and peacekeeping and humanitarian operations) and shows, with an illustrative force posture, how military capabilities might best be adjusted to meet the country's defence and foreign policy needs in the decades ahead.