North America

In: The military balance: the annual assessment of global military capabilities and defence economics, S. 15-52

Abstract

The chapter summarizes the objectives, general strategy and budget of the United States military from 2009 to early 2010. It also includes a brief summary of Canadian military operations for the same period. The chapter includes concise summaries of US doctrine and policy and major developing strategy. It assesses US military readiness and personnel morale in the face of ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The chapter notes the publication by the Defense Department of the "Counterinsurgency Guide," which attempts to devise a whole-of-government approach to an area of operations that had only previously been addressed in isolated literature. The chapter summarize the Barack Obama administration's policy concerning nuclear-arms control and missile defense. It provides a detailed summary of how the current economic crisis has impacted the defense budget. Kenny Cargill