Two news items you might want to make a note of. They reflect the strategic mindset in which S&T must exist and contribute. Have a good weekend.
"Pentagon sticks with 2-war plan" - Washington Times, 9 Dec 05, page A1
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20051208-113131-7167r.htm
(The link doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment; however, it seems to be a problem with the Washington Times website as a whole.)
Two officials have told the Washington Times that when the QDR is completed next month, it will retain the current military strategy that the Pentagon maintain active forces and reserves to be able to repel and occupy an enemy in one war and defeat a second enemy but not necessarily occupy its capital. The strategy is also known as "1421" where:
1 - represents defending the home front
4 - represents the ability to deter hostilities in four global regions
2 - represents the requirement to defeat two enemies nearly simultaneously
1 - represents having the capability of decisively defeating one of those enemies and occupying the country if necessary
Secretary Rumsfeld said the following in a speech on Monday:
"I think if I had to pull out one lesson over the past four or five years, it would be that in the 21st century we're going to have to stop thinking about things, numbers of things, and mass, and think also and maybe even first about speed and agility and precision."
"The Navy, for the sake of argument, has been able to go from X number of ships down to a much lower number," but each carrier group's firepower is "vastly greater than it was five years ago."
Air Force releases new mission statement
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123013440
The mission statement defines the "where and what" the Air Force accomplishes on a daily basis:
The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests -- to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace.
The statement includes two new concepts, "sovereign options" and “cyberspace,” which the secretary and chief defined.
They said having sovereign options is the essence of being a superpower.
"Our task is to provide the National Command Authority and the combatant commanders with an array of options ... options that are not limited by the tyranny of distance, the urgency of time, or the strength of our enemy’s defenses," they said. "With one hand the Air Force can deliver humanitarian assistance to the farthest reaches of the globe, while with the other hand we can destroy a target anywhere in the world."
The term cyberspace includes network security, data transmission and the sharing of information.
"We have quite a few of our Airmen dedicated to cyberspace ... from security awareness, making sure the networks can't be penetrated, as well as figuring out countermeasures," Secretary Wynne said. "The Air Force is a natural leader in the cyber world and we thought it would be best to recognize that talent."
The latest reports are that the House could be naming conferees for the FY06 DOD Appropriations bill as soon as today; a sign that they are on track to being able to wrap things up in short order. News stories are pretty consistent that this bill is expected to be the one of the last pieces of legislation acted upon this year. The main point of contention remains the McCain amendment on the treatment of detainees; leadership is also negotiating the conditions for an across-the-board spending cut that is anticipated to be attached to the bill.
Additionally, Hunter, Skelton, Warner, and Levin met yesterday to discuss the authorization bill; probably adding fuel to the reports this morning that the House is also close to naming conferees on that measure as well.
Still no word yet on how S&T numbers or policy has come out during negotiations.