Rebuilding American Military Power in the Pacific : A 21st-Century Strategy

This volume examines how the U.S. military must rebuild in the wake of Iraq/Afghanistan, and refocus its power projection to face the new challenges emerging in the Pacific and with China. Rebuilding American Military Power in the Pacific: A 21st-Century Strategy provides an all-encompassing look at the challenges facing the United States in shaping a 21st-century Pacific strategy: dealing with the growing Chinese colossus, the unpredictable nuclear challenge presented by North Korea, the dynamic of the Arctic opening, and maintaining the security of the conveyor belt of goods and services in the Pacific. Can the United States successfully train and prepare for the 21st century, and break free from the mindset that determined its strategies in the previous century? The authors of the work explain why a carefully considered, fully modernized Pacific strategy is a key element for the evolution of American military power-and why shaping an effective air and maritime strategy in the Pacific as well as globally is the crucial challenge facing the U.S. military and the policy community. Written by authors with significant access to the media, think tanks, and high-level politicians, the book provides an insider's look at how American military leaders are building out relevant capabilities in the Pacific to defend America and its allies, and it contains extensive interviews with those leaders. Examines the nature of the destabilizing threat that China presents to the power balance of the Pacific, along with how the United States can work with its allies to shape a 21st-century strategy Discusses in detail the necessity for reshaping the U.S. military after the land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ways in which American forces can be rebuilt for the future Explains why the evolving Pacific theater is an area of critical operations and will require significant change in terms of how U.S. forces operate to deal with emerging threats Assesses how new capabilities associated with emerging technologies-notably the Osprey, the F-35 aircraft, the Aegis Combat Systems, and a number of new European systems-allow new opportunities to work with our allies