Every four years the Pentagon reviews our military strategy in great depth, identifying possible enemies and laying out a strategy for meeting the challenges these enemies raise. This so-called Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) also discusses the weapons systems we will be working on over the next few years.
Andrew Krepinevich, who proposed the 'oil spot' theory for dealing with our problems in Iraq, doesn't think that our strategy matches the identification of the challenges posed by our potential enemies. He feels that we are spending too much money on outdated systems and not enough on systems that would be able to meet the challenges we will be facing. For example, the QDR calls for spending $250+ billion on the F-35 fighter. Yet, the terrorists don't have planes to be shot out of the air by the F-35 and China, North Korea and Iran will be relying on ballistic missiles, not fighter aircraft. On the other hand, the QDR does not give enough money to increase the number of special forces battalions, which would be most useful against radical Islamists. His full report is available in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and will likely be available soon on the web site of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
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