The U.S. Military Role in a Changing Asia : Preparing for the 21st Century : A Documented Briefing

This report presents the findings of a project that examined roles for the United States and the U.S. military in a changing Asia. The report is divided into three broad sections: thinking about the future, building a regional strategy, and identifying appropriate military roles and policy measures. These sections address five sets of issues: current U.S. policy and underlying assumptions; key trends and Asia's future core environment; U.S. interests, strategic goals, and regional objectives in the core environment; alternative grand and regional strategies; and policy components, emphases, and building blocks to fulfill the recommended strategy, achieve U.S. strategic goals, and further U.S. interests. The central theme of this report is that the times call for something more than business as usual Trends in both Asia and the United States are stimulating a new kind of regional dynamic that, left unattended, could adversely affect U.S. interests. This report represents an attempt to address both the need for a new look at Asia and the opportunities the trends provide for advancing U.S. interests in a time of growing fluidity.