52 JPME Today / Shaping a 21
st
-Century Defense Strategy JFQ 73, 2
nd
Quarter 2014
Shaping a 21
st
-Century
Defense Strategy
Reconciling Military Roles
By William G. Braun III and Charles D. Allen
O
nce again the U.S. military is
transitioning from a period of
sustained conflict to a resource-
constrained and uncertain future.
Accordingly, the Nation is again debat-
ing its global role and how to develop
an appropriate national security strat-
egy. Even before that strategy is fully
formulated, the military submitted a
budget that comports with fiscal aus-
terity while sustaining current readiness
and investing in capabilities to meet
future requirements for a complex
international security environment.
This article expands the national se-
curity debate by advocating adapting the
joint force to the emerging strategy and
security environment through enhanc-
ing its shaping capabilities. The principal
stimulus driving the need for change is
the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance,
which sustains the security strategy shift
from deterrence and containment to
William G. Braun III is Professor of Strategy, Policy, and Landpower in the Strategic Studies Institute
at the U.S. Army War College. Charles D. Allen is Professor of Leadership and Cultural Studies in the
Department of Command, Leadership, and Management at the U.S. Army War College.
Soldier pulls watch during traffic checkpoint
coordinated with members of Afghan National
Army outside of Combat Outpost Yosef Khel,
Paktika Province (U.S. Army/Ken Scar)
