Limited US military force has been used nine times this year against Iraq. The probability is very high that American troops will fight again somewhere before this decade is over. Much of the world is at war or on the brink of it. The vast area of the former Soviet Union is engulfed by political challenge, territorial dispute, violence, and instability. These troubles could easily escalate and spread.
New conflicts threaten in the Middle East and on the Asian rim.
The number of nations with high-technology armament and weapons of mass destruction is increasing. More than a dozen nations have operational ballistic missiles today. The capability to employ missiles at intermediate and intercontinental range will proliferate with time. To defend its security and protect its interests, the United States plans to follow a strategy that is notably reliant on airpower. The Department of Defense has determined that the primary characteristic of the future force structure should be the ability to fight and win two major regional conflicts, nearly simultaneously.