Nations East and West are committed to major reductions in their military forces. The United States and Russia have agreed to eliminate the majority of their strategic nuclear warheads. These conditions, unfortunately, do not ensure peace and stability. In fact, instability is a leading by-product of the changes that produced the new world order. The prospect of regional conflict, perhaps with global implications, is extremely high.
Political reform is still fragile, and many of the changes have shallow roots.
The United States is struggling to define its role in the new world order. That entails difficult decisions about policies, programs, and the allocation of resources. It is generally acknowledged that we cannot hold blindly to the approaches of the past. The measure of our adjustment to change will ultimately be whether we establish strategies based on recognition of realities, risks, and prudent opportunities. In this regard, we support the flexible approach prescribed by the National Military Strategy of the United States.