The United States continues to face the task of providing itself and allies with a strong defense capability while having access to fewer dollars, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey said in a presentation March 18 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Dempsey’s presentation was webcast live on the CSIS website.
The world enjoys an “evolutionary low level of violence” but a higher degree of risk, Dempsey said.
“The consequences are more serious,” Dempsey said, “with power shifting below the state. “ Power, in its traditional form, is decaying while internationally connected leaders continue to emerge below the nation-state level.
“Bits and bytes can be as dangerous as bullets and bombs” in creating and carrying out war plans.
The task, he said, is to remain strong with fewer dollars.
“We will lead our way through this,” he predicted, but the defense needs of the nation will require strong leadership.
Sequestration is irresponsible, Dempsey said, because defense officials need certainly to plan for defense needs.
“These are tough times for the military family,” he said, “and possibly the toughest we have ever seen.”
Dempsey also called for more collaboration among allies for defense needs, for which some show more enthusiasm than others.
Join me on Twitter
Comments