Military Review English Edition January-February 2015 | Page 11

DEFENSE ENTERPRISE

(Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Chuck Hagel during his service in the Vietnam War, circa 1967-1968.

of the changes we know are coming, and making
the long-term investments we need for the future.
This is happening in two important ways. We
are investing in our nation’s unrivaled capacity for
innovation, so that in the face of mounting challenges, our military’s capabilities, technological
edge, strategy, and readiness will continue to surpass any potential adversary. And we are investing
in reforms to our defense enterprise, to ensure that
our military’s foundation is reliable, agile, accountable, and worthy of the men and women who serve
in it. Sustaining both investments will require significant leadership—and partnership—in the years
to come.

Pursuing Innovation
Today, our military has nearly 400,000 personnel stationed or forward deployed in nearly 100
countries around the world. This continued forward presence—with its unmatched technological
and operational edge—has helped anchor America’s
global leadership for decades.
MILITARY REVIEW  January-February 2015

However, the superiority of our forces has never
been guaranteed, and it is now being increasingly
challenged. Technologies and weapons that were
once the exclusive province of advanced nations
have become available to a broad range of militaries
and nonstate actors. And while we spent over a decade focused on grinding stability operations, nearpeer competitor countries such as Russia and China
have been heavily investing in military modernization programs to blunt our military’s technological
edge—fielding advanced aircraft, submarines, and
both longer-range and more accurate missiles. They
are also developing new anti-ship and air-to-air
missiles, as well as counter-space, cyber, electronic-warfare, undersea, and air-attack capabilities.
To sustain our global leadership commitments—
and the confidence of our allies—America must
continue to safeguard its ability to project power
rapidly across oceans and continents through the
swift deployment of aircraft, ships, troops, and supplies. If this power projection capability is eroded
or lost, we will see a world far more dangerous and
9