Vol. 72/No. 32      August 18, 2008

The 23-page paper reaffirms the Pentagon’s course of training soldiers, purchasing weapons, and developing battlefield technologies that enhance its ability to conduct irregular warfare, the kind more suited to the enemies it expects to face in the coming decades.

This historic shift in the global deployment, military strategy, and order of battle of U.S. imperialism’s armed forces was sharply accelerated under former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld. It is being continued under current secretary Robert Gates.

In a foreword to the document Gates notes that while there will be a new president and commander-in-chief soon, “This strategy is a blueprint to succeed in the years to come.” Gates is the one member of the current administration that both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama say they would consider asking to serve in their administration.

“For the foreseeable future, winning the Long War against violent extremist movements will be the central objective of the U.S.,” the document states. “We face an extended series of campaigns to defeat violent extremist groups, presently led by al-Qaeda and its associates.”

Drawing on lessons learned in Iraq the strategy document says, “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.”

In a clear reference to the challenges faced in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border regions it says, “Regional and local grievances help fuel the conflict, and it thrives in ungoverned, under-governed and mis-governed areas.” In addition to stepping up its military operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban-backed militias, Washington has pressed the Pakistani government to do more to secure its border areas.

“We also seek to convince our adversaries that they cannot attain their goals” with weapons of mass destruction, the report states. However, “the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively in exercising its right of self-defense.” The Bush administration used the assertion that Saddam Hussein’s regime possessed nuclear and/or biological weapons to justify its decision to invade Iraq.

The document singles out the governments in North Korea and Iran as ones to be prevented from having nuclear technology and weapons.

While improving the U.S. military’s skill in irregular warfare will be the Pentagon’s priority the document warns that the possibilities of conventional conflicts should not be ignored, mentioning China and Russia as possible targets.

The document also says the United States will maintain its nuclear arsenal as a primary deterrent to nuclear attack. “Precision-guided munitions allow us great flexibility not only to react to attacks, but also to strike preemptively when necessary.”
 
 
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