North America

In: The military balance: the annual assessment of global military capabilities and defence economics, S. 15-50

Abstract

In this section on the Capabilities, Trends & Economics of regional military defense capabilities, the military trends & priorities of Canada and the US are assessed. A discussion of the evolution of defense transformation in North America argues that theory has clashed with reality in asymmetric warfare, putting strain on the US Army & US Marine Corps, & has implemented the transformation framed in the Canadian Forces Vision document (2005). US defense transformation seeks to lift the fog of war through surveillance & information technologies for complex irregular warfare & to apply the new counter-insurgency doctrine to achieve state building while fighting insurgent enemies. Discussion of US defense economics relates upcoming demands for social security to available funds for defense & security, and the difficulty of assessing the true budget position of the US Armed Forces. A detailed assessment follows of Canadian & US military capabilities that inventories troops, organizations by service & equipment, deployment, & foreign forces. Tables. J. Harwell