NCJ Number
193875
Date Published
September 2001
Length
79 pages
Annotation
This report presented the U.S. Defense Department’s review on the strategy for America’s defense in the 21st Century, setting conditions to extend America’s influence and preserve America’s security. The review is aimed at shifting the basis of defense planning from a “threat-based” model to a “capabilities-based model.”
Abstract
This report on the Quadrennial Defense Review was developed by the Defense Department to establish a new strategy for America’s defense based on the idea that to be effective abroad, America must be safe at home. The report discusses the Review’s emphasis on homeland defense, on surprise, on preparing for asymmetric threats, on the need to develop new concepts of deterrence, on the need for a capabilities-based strategy, and on the need to balance deliberately the different dimensions of risk. The Review report identifies a new approach to ensure the Department of Defense is better able to meet near-term threats as it invests in capabilities needed to safeguard the Nation’s future security. The report is divided into eight chapters that include: (1) America’s security in the 21st Century; (2) defense strategy, policy goals, and strategic tenets; (3) a paradigm shift in force planning; (4) reorienting the U.S. military global posture; (5) creating the U.S. military of the 21st Century including operational goals and transformation pillars; (6) revitalizing the DOD establishment; (7) managing risks with a new risk framework and mitigating risks across the spectrum; and (8) a statement from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. An appendix includes information on the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.