Restoring American Military Power: Toward a New Progressive Defense Strategy for America

Publication Date: December 2007

Publisher: Center for American Progress

Author(s): Lawrence J. Korb; Max Bergmann

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Report

Abstract:

After more than four years of war in Iraq and seven in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is facing a crisis not seen since the end of the Vietnam War. Equipment shortages, manpower shortfalls, recruiting and retention problems, and misplaced budget priorities have resulted in a military barely able to meet the challenges America faces today and dangerously ill-prepared to handle the challenges of the future.

As operations in Iraq eventually draw to a close, we must plot a new strategic direction for our nation’s military. Major General Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College, has noted that the current crisis in Iraq presents the “opportunity to transform ourselves as we rebuild.”