Toward Holistic Joint Force Structure Decisions

In the words of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, "The United States, our allies, and our partners face a spectrum of challenges' We must balance strategic risk across the responses, making the best use of the tools at hand within the U.S. Government and among our international partners." Examination of the propensity of U.S. foreign policy indicates that the Middle East and the radical extremist organizations which draw strength from the region will continue to hold an arguably preeminent position of relevancy. Despite the importance of the enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism, the Department of Defense is still challenged to balance strategic risks across the joint force and, instead, service parochial perspectives still drive procurement, and hence strategic, decisions. It is the author's intent to provide justification for the necessity of a holistic framework from which the U.S. joint force structure can both be shaped and help formulate a grand strategy for the U.S., specifically justified by the context of the Middle East. Arguably this framework for military force structure decisions should be part of a wider whole of government approach to the spectrum of challenges the U.S. faces globally. However, it is the author's contention that an important, if not first, step towards a broader approach should be taken with respect to military force structure decisions.