The Pentagon’s new strategy might already be behind the times: 2022 Preview
A Russian invasion of Ukraine could derail the Defense Department's planning.
By Valerie Insinna on December 29, 2021 at 11:02 AM
The Pentagon has big work ahead of it in 2022, with the release of a new National Defense Strategy planned for early next year. (US Army/Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Walker)
WASHINGTON: What big changes can the Pentagon anticipate in 2022? To paraphrase James Carville, “it’s the National Defense Strategy, stupid.”
The 2018 National Defense Strategy clearly articulated that China was the United States’ biggest strategic threat, and stated that the Defense Department must take action to modernize the force and regain its technical edge in order to deter and — if all else fails — win a conflict against Beijing. There was just one problem: The strategy never truly got implemented, as domestic politics and a global pandemic overtook plans to reform the military.
Now, about a year after President Joe Biden took office, the department is on track to release a new strategy in early 2022. The big questions: How are his administration’s defense priorities different from those of the Trump administration? What kind of rhetoric does the strategy contain pertaining to China, and what should the department do differently to deter and beat China? What roles and objectives should the US have in the Middle East, now that forces have exited Iraq and Afghanistan?
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/12/the-pentagons-new-strategy-might-already-be-behind-the-times-2022-preview/
