The Coming Military Essay, Research Paper

In changing political landscape of the 21st century and the wake of the end of the cold war the US is scrambling to invent the way wars will be fought and the protection of the United States by those who wish to harm it in the coming years.

As the US struggles to harness new technology and weaponry to thwart off the changing types of risks to the United States, it is faced with critical decisions of what to expect in the coming century. The new Bush administration is making it one of it s highest priorities to review and change the way the military will operate

Ten years ago the US stormed across the Iraqi desert crushing Sadam Hussein s armies and restoring peace in the region. The Desert Storm War might be the last ground war of it s kind the U.S. military will ever fight. Instead, military experts envision future wars fought at great distances with missiles or in close terrorist style attacks.

In secret, behind closed doors, Defense Secretary Donald Ruhmsfield is trying to change the way the pentagon thinks and fights tomorrow s military threats. The entire U.S. military will have to become lighter but more lethal. Massive aircraft carriers could eventually be replaced by smaller faster carriers protected by an armada of sleek, newly designed warships wrapped in newly designed stealth technology to protect against missile attack. An entire new generation of transports could get troops and equipment in and out of warships faster. The air force could depend more on long-range bombers and stealth aircraft. Army infantry would be geared for more rapid response; each soldier a walking, killing machine of the future. To make that change, the military will have to make some hard choices and give up some of it s more conventional weapons like the armies 70 ton Abrams tank which may be too slow for battle and traditional carrier battle groups too vulnerable to enemy missiles.

Most immediately Rummsfield must decide which new generation of aircraft to invest in. There are three new fighter jets and the tilt rotor osprey the military is considering to buy would cost more than 300 billion dollars and the pentagon can t afford it. There must be enough money for one of the bush administration s top military priorities; national missile defense.

Any major changes in the military won t happen overnight. It will take at least decades, some say 40 to 50 years but the bush administration appears determined to at least get that process started toward major military reform.