Horizons in Armaments Cooperation,

Abstract

Abstract : In the post-Cold War world, we no longer face a single galvanizing threat such as the former Soviet Union. Instead, there is increased likelihood of our forces being committed to limited regional military actions - coalition operations - in which allies are important partners. In this environment, the US-European security relationship remains vitally important to the welfare of people on both sides of the Atlantic. This new international security environment is a more uncertain world - it gives us some pause in trying to plan intelligently. In response to the reduced overall threat, the United States has cut the end strength of its forces by about a third from 1985 levels. But at the same time, decreased stability has caused deployments of US forces to go up by a third. In this adjustment phase, we have brought the total defense budget down while maintaining high levels of readiness needed to support increased operational tempos.