Inside Defense Aug. 12, 2009 -- Officials from the Defense Department and other government agencies have begun the process of evaluating what the military's “lay-down of forces” should be around the world, according to a senior Pentagon official.
The assessment is part of DOD's 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review, which has a separate working group dedicated to the issue.
“We will look region by region . . . working with the combatant commands, the [State Department], the National Security Council, and others in the interagency [and] the intelligence community,” Kathleen Hicks, the deputy under secretary of defense for strategy, plans and forces, said in an Aug. 6 interview.
“I think there is a general sense that we want to emphasize relationships -- enduring relationships -- more than has been done in the last cycle,” Hicks told InsideDefense.com.
Finding the right balance between “enduring relationships” with foreign governments and the ability to react to unforeseen contingencies and circumstances is a central theme during the deliberations, she said.
“There is a sense that posture is ever evolving,” Hicks said. “That really requires us to balance this need both to be operationally flexible and based in the United States, and really be forward and have a strong presence abroad to build those relationships and to help to work with partners,” she added.
After considering regional posture issues, officials will weigh “functional global issues” that require a worldwide perspective, she explained.
Many of the QDR's global posture “products” likely will take longer to develop than the quadrennial review itself, partly because any moves would involve negotiations with allies and partners, she said.
“[I] think it will not be until the [fiscal year 2012] cycle that you'll see some of that really coming out,” she said. -- Sebastian Sprenger
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