United States: Section 2a - Market Overview Ongoing Programs & Future Requirements Ongoing Programs & Future Requirements

摘要

The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), a congressionally mandated review of DoD strategies and priorities, established two primary objectives for the U.S. military in the years ahead. First, the armed forces must continue to rebalance capabilities to support current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan while at the same time developing the capabilities needed to handle future threats. Second, the QDR calls for the DoD to reform its "institutions and processes to better support the urgent needs of the warfighter; buy weapons that are usable, affordable, and truly needed; and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and responsibly." These aspirations come at a time when the U.S. faces a "complex and uncertain security landscape," according to the QDR. Indeed, the days of Cold War posturing against a single conventional nemesis are long gone. Today's security challenges range from failed states, terrorist groups, and small non-state actors to rogue governments and the growth of potential near-peer competitors. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 highlighted the vast scope of the threats that the U.S. faces today, and were proof that even a small, unconventional force could pose a genuine threat to national security. The subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the protracted ground wars that followed, have disproportionately stressed U.S. ground forces. As a result, various air and maritime assets either have gone unused or have not been taken advantage of to their fullest extent due to the nature of the low-level ground wars. Recent efforts have also focused on improving warfighter capabilities in today's conflicts, including battlefield data and communications networks, vehicle and aircraft survivability, anti-IED technologies, and new training doctrines.