An independent vision for U.S. national security

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... not only is national security too important to leave to simplistic posturing, it is an area that should prompt a great deal of agreement. As evidence, we – a group of 15 Republican, Democratic, and independent former policymakers, retired military officers, and academics – reached a solid consensus on a new U.S. defense strategy for the future. And even we were surprised how easily we reached it.
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U.S. defense strategy and policy should be based on the following principles:
– The U.S. should maintain space, air, naval and special operations forces superior to those of any potential adversary. To maintain these forces, the United States must prioritize funding basic research in science and technology in pursuit of advanced military capabilities.
– The U.S. should strongly resist being drawn into protracted land wars. The United States must maintain competent ground forces in support of its commitments to allies and to provide the punching power to achieve specific objectives quickly and decisively. But such deployments should be conducted only to achieve the rapid defeat of the enemy’s forces and the equally rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces, as was done in the first Gulf War.
– The U.S. should shift over time from a mindset that emphasizes static deployments overseas. Instead, we should rely primarily on frequent rotations of expeditionary forces to exercise jointly with allies, to become familiar with potential combat zones, and to demonstrate U.S. resolve and capabilities.
– The U.S. should revise the Cold War nuclear planning assumptions it still uses, which would allow reductions in the size of its nuclear forces, preferably through a new treaty with Russia, and commensurate reductions in planned nuclear modernization programs. Such cuts would free resources for the conventional forces more likely to be used to defend American security.
– The U.S. should implement long-standing proposals to utilize manpower more efficiently, to reform personnel compensation systems, and to streamline the system used to acquire equipment, goods and services. Efficiency reforms already recommended by authoritative organizations could save nearly one trillion dollars over ten years, but have long been stymied by bureaucratic and special interests. Overcoming these obstacles would free up resources that can make real contributions to US security
– The U.S. owes a huge debt to all those who have served in the nation’s wars, and particularly to the men and women who have served repeatedly in Iraq and Afghanistan. This sacred debt can be honored by implementing more effective policies that better care for our service members’ health, vocational, family and other needs.