Balancing the Pentagon's Focus between Conventional and Non-Conventional WarfareDecember 12, 2008
 Robert M. Gates, who agreed to remain Defense Secretary in the Obama administration, writes in the January/February 2009 issue of Foreign Affairs that the Pentagon cannot simply focus on modernizing conventional forces but must also concentrate on containing the growing number of unconventional conflicts worldwide. Gates believes it would be irresponsible not to prepare for a future conventional war — something that nearly everyone in the Pentagon, the military branches, and the defense industry focuses on routinely. But he also warns that "We must not be so preoccupied with preparing for future conventional and strategic conflicts that we neglect to provide all the capabilities necessary to fight and win conflicts such as those the United States is in today." The battle the U.S. is waging today is in "grim reality," writes Gates, a global irregular and prolonged struggle between forces of violent extremism and moderation. He fears that there is insufficient "institutional support" for what's required to wage that type of war. Throughout his piece, Secretary Gates is blunt: "The United States cannot expect to eliminate national security risks through higher defense budgets, to do everything and buy everything." The pieces echoes recent calls that the military end its fixation with "exquisite" weapon systems that cost too much, and are so complex they become difficult to design and build quickly and in quantity. He warns that over the long term the U.S. cannot kill and capture its way to victory. Instead, he writes that where possible kinetic operations, or the fighting, must be "subordinated to measures aimed at promoting better governance, economic programs that spur development, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented from whom the terrorists recruit." He notes that being able to fight through unconventional methods will become increasingly important because potential enemies — from rogue nations to terrorist cells to new rising adversaries — are realizing that it is difficult to win a confrontation with the U.S. using conventional military tactics. "Just as one can expect a blended high-low mix of adversaries and types of conflicts, so, too, should the United States seek a better balance in the portfolio of capabilities it has — the types of units fielded, the weapons bought, and the training done," writes Secretary Gates. "The United States needs a military whose ability to kick down the door is matched by its ability to clean up the mess and even rebuild the house afterward." DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway, U.S. Air Force. (Released) |
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