The Creeping Irrelevance Of U.S. Force Planning (1998) By Jeffrey Record
 
The transition from the Cold War to the post-Cold War world has been one from strategic urgency to strategic uncertainty. The very term .post-Cold War world. testifies to an inability to characterize that world in terms other than what it is not. U.S. force planning, for decades riveted on the prospect of massive conventional and even nuclear operations against a militarily-like adversary, now confronts a strategic environment heavily populated by sub-state threats whose suppression places a premium on preparation for so-called .military operations other than war. (MOOTW). In this monograph, Jeffrey Record examines what he believes is a half-century-old and continuing recession of large-interstate warfare and, since the World War's demise, the unexpected and often violent disintegration of established states. He then addresses the Department of Defense's persistent planning focus on multiple conventional war scenarios, concluding that this focus on the familiar and comfortable is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a world of small wars and MOOTW. The author's critical analysis leads him to propose significant and controversial changes in planning standards, force structure, and defense spending. His thought-provoking analyses, conclusions, and recommendations should fuel further discussion of how America's military can best tackle the strategic uncertainties of the post-Cold War world.
 
Soft Cover
29 pages
In Good condition