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2. Statement as Prepared by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta on the Defense Strategic Guidance
<http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14993>
01/05/2012 01:07 PM CST
________________________________
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 009-12
January 05, 2012
________________________________
Statement as Prepared by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta on the Defense Strategic Guidance
"I'd like to begin by thanking President Obama for coming here this morning, and for his vision,
guidance and leadership as this Department went through the intensive review we undertook to develop
the new strategic guidance we are releasing today.
"This guidance recognizes that this country is at a strategic turning point after a decade of war
and large increases in defense spending. As the President mentioned, the U.S. military's mission in Iraq
has now ended, continued progress in Afghanistan is enabling a transition to Afghan security
responsibility, the NATO effort in Libya has concluded with the fall of Qaddafi, targeted counterterrorism
efforts have significantly weakened al Qaeda and decimated its leadership, and now as these events are
occurring, the Congress has mandated that we achieve significant defense savings.
"But even as our large-scale military campaigns recede, the United States still faces a complex
and growing array of security challenges across the globe, challenges that call for a reshaping of
America's defense priorities, focusing on the continuing threat of violent extremism, proliferation of
lethal weapons and materials, the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea, the rise of new
powers across Asia, and the dramatic changes in the Middle East.
"All of this comes at a time when America confronts a serious deficit and debt problem which is
itself a national security risk that is squeezing both the defense and domestic budgets. Even facing
these considerable pressures, including the requirement of the Budget Control Act to reduce defense
spending by $487 billion over 10 years, I do not believe that we must choose between national security
and fiscal responsibility. The Department of Defense will play its part in helping the nation put its fiscal
house in order.
"But the President has made clear, and I have made clear, that the savings we have been
mandated to achieve must be driven by strategy and rigorous analysis, not by the numbers alone.
"Consequently, over the past few months, we have conducted an intensive review to guide
defense priorities and spending over the coming decade, in light of strategic guidance from the
President and the recommendations of this Department's senior military and civilian leadership. This
process has enabled us to assess risk, set priorities, and make hard choices. Let me be clear, this
Department would need to make a strategic shift regardless of the nation's fiscal situation. That is the
reality of the world we live in.
"As difficult as it may be to achieve the mandated defense savings, this has also given us in the
Department of Defense the opportunity to reshape our defense strategy and force structure to more
effectively meet the challenges of the future, deter aggression, shape the security environment and
decisively prevail in any conflict.
"From the beginning, I set out to ensure that this strategy review was inclusive. Chairman
Dempsey and I met frequently with Departmental leaders, including my Under Secretaries, the Service
Chiefs, Service Secretaries, Combatant Commanders and senior enlisted advisors. We've discussed this
strategy and its implications with the President, with members of Congress, and with outside experts.
"Four overarching principles have guided our deliberations:
* First, we must maintain the world's finest military, one that supports and sustains the unique
global leadership role of the United States;
* Second, we must avoid hollowing out the force -- a smaller, ready, and well-equipped military is
preferable to a larger, ill-prepared force that has been arbitrarily cut across-the- board;
* Third, savings must be achieved in a balanced manner with everything on the table, including
politically sensitive areas that will likely provoke opposition from parts of Congress, industry, and
advocacy groups;
* Fourth, we must preserve the quality of our All-Volunteer Force and not break faith with our men

3. and women in uniform or their families.
"With these principles in mind, I will focus on some of the significant strategic choices and
shifts that are being made. But first, let me be clear that the U.S. military will remain capable across the
spectrum. We will continue to conduct a complex set of missions ranging from countering terrorism and
weapons of mass destruction to maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent. We will be
fully prepared to protect our interests, defend our homeland and support civil authorities.
"Our goal is to achieve this U.S. force for the future with the following significant changes:
"First, the U.S. joint force will be smaller and leaner, but its great strength will be that it is
more agile, flexible, ready to deploy, innovative and technologically advanced.
"Second, as we move towards this new joint force, we are also rebalancing our global posture
and presence, emphasizing the Pacific and the Middle East -- these are the areas where we see the
greatest challenges for the future. The U.S. military will increase its institutional weight and focus on
enhanced presence, power projection, and deterrence in Asia-Pacific. This region is growing in
importance to the future of the United States economy and our national security. This means, for
instance, improving capabilities that maintain our military's technological edge and freedom of action.
"At the same time, the United States will place a premium on maintaining our military presence
and capabilities in the broader Middle East. The United States and our partners must remain capable of
deterring and defeating aggression while supporting political progress and reform.
"Third, the United States will continue to strengthen its key alliances, build partnerships and
develop innovative ways to sustain U.S. presence elsewhere in the world.
"The long history of close political and military cooperation with our European allies and
partners will be critical to addressing the challenges of the 21st century. We will invest in the shared
capabilities and responsibilities of NATO, our most effective military alliance. The U.S. military's force
posture in Europe will of necessity continue to adapt and evolve to meet new challenges and
opportunities, particularly in light of the security needs of the continent relative to emerging strategic
priorities elsewhere. We are committed to sustaining a presence that will meet Article 5 commitments,
deter aggression, and the U.S. military will work closely with our allies to allow for the kinds of coalition
operations NATO has undertaken in Libya and Afghanistan.
"In Latin America, Africa and elsewhere in the world, we will use innovative methods to sustain
U.S. presence, maintaining key military-to-military relations and pursuing new security partnerships as
needed. Whenever possible, we will develop low-cost and small-footprint approaches to achieve our
security objectives, emphasizing rotational deployments and exercises, and other innovative approaches
that maintain presence.
"Fourth, as we shift the size and composition of our ground, air, and naval forces, we must be
capable of successfully confronting and defeating any aggressor and respond to the changing nature of
warfare.
"Our strategy review concluded that the United States must have the capability to fight in
several conflicts at the same time. We are not confronting the threats of the past. We are confronting
the threats of the 21st century and that demands greater flexibility to shift and deploy forces to fight
and defeat any enemy anywhere. How we defeat that enemy may vary across conflicts. But make no
mistake -- we will have the capability to confront and defeat more than one adversary at a time.
"As a global force, our military will never be doing only one thing -- it will be responsible for a
range of missions and activities across the globe of varying scope, duration, and strategic priority. This
will place a premium on flexible and adaptable forces that can respond quickly and effectively to a
variety of contingencies and potential adversaries.
"In addition to these forces, the United States will emphasize building the capacity of partners
and allies to more effectively defend their own territory and interests through better use of diplomacy,
development and security force assistance.
"In accordance with this construct and with the end of U.S. military commitments in Iraq, and
the drawdown already underway in Afghanistan, the Army and Marine Corps will no longer need to be
sized to support the large scale, long-term stability operations that dominated military priorities and
force generation over the past decade.
"Lastly, as we reduce the overall defense budget, we will protect our investments in special

4. operations forces, new technologies like ISR and unmanned systems, space and cyberspace capabilities
and our capacity to quickly mobilize. These investments will help the military retain and continue to
refine and institutionalize the expertise and capabilities that have been gained at such great cost over
the last decade.
"Most importantly, we will structure and pace the reductions in the nation's ground forces in
such a way that they can surge, regenerate, and mobilize capabilities needed for any contingency.
Building in reversibility and the ability to quickly mobilize will be key. That means reexamining the mix
of elements in the active and reserve components, maintaining a strong National Guard and Reserve,
retaining a healthy cadre of experienced NCOs and midgrade officers, and preserving the health and
viability of the nation's defense industrial base.
"This strategic guidance is a first step in this Department's goal to build the Joint Force of 2020,
a force sized and shaped differently than the military of the Cold War, the post-Cold War force of the
1990s, or the force built over the past decade to engage in large-scale ground wars.
"This strategy and vision will guide the more specific budget decisions that will be finalized and
announced in the coming weeks as part of the President's budget. In some cases we will be reducing
capabilities no longer of top priority. In other cases we will invest in new capabilities to maintain a
decisive military edge against a growing array of threats.
"There is no question that we have to make some tradeoffs, and that we will be taking on some
level of additional but acceptable risk in the budget plan we release next month. These were not easy
choices.
"We will continue aggressive efforts to weed out waste and reduce overhead, reform business
practices, and consolidate duplicative operations. But budget reductions of this magnitude will inevitably
impact the size and capabilities of our military. And as I've said before, true national security cannot be
achieved through a strong military alone -- it requires strong diplomatic, development, and intelligence
efforts and, above all, it requires a strong economy, fiscal discipline and effective government.
"The capability, readiness and agility of the force will not be sustained if Congress fails to do its
duty and the military is forced to accept far deeper cuts, in particular the arbitrary, across-the-board
cuts currently scheduled to take effect in January of 2013 through the mechanism of sequester. That
would force us to shed missions, commitments, and capabilities necessary to protect core U.S. national
security interests, resulting in a demoralized and hollow force.
"And finally, I'd also like to address our men and women in uniform, and the civilian employees
who support them, whom I know have been watching the budget debates here in Washington with
concern about what it means for them and their families. You have done everything the country has
asked you to do, and more.
"You have put your lives on the line, and fought to make our country safer and stronger. I
believe this strategic guidance honors your sacrifices and strengthens the country by building a force
equipped for the future. I have no higher responsibility than fighting to protect you and your families,
just as you have fought and bled to protect our country.
"There is no doubt that the fiscal situation this country faces is difficult, and in many ways we
are at a crisis point. But I believe that in every crisis, there is opportunity. Out of this crisis, we have
the opportunity to end the old ways of doing business and build a modern force for the 21st century
that can win today's wars and successfully confront any enemy, and respond to any challenge of the
future. Our responsibility is to protect the nation's security and keep America safe. With this joint force,
I am confident we can effectively defend the United States of America.
"Thank you."

5. Statement as Prepared by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey on the Defense
Strategic Guidance <http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14994>
01/05/2012 01:10 PM CST
________________________________
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 010-12
January 05, 2012
________________________________
Statement as Prepared by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey on the Defense
Strategic Guidance
"As Chairman, it is my responsibility to work with the Joint Chiefs to ensure that the armed
forces of the United States keep America immune from coercion. The Strategy just described by the
President and the Secretary of Defense enables us to fulfill that responsibility. It sustains the sacred
trust put in us by the American people -- to defend them and our country.
"This strategy stems from a deeply collaborative process. We sought out and took on insights
both within and beyond the Department of Defense to include the intelligence community and other
government departments. We weighed facts and assessments. We challenged every assumption. We
considered a wide range of recommendations and counter-arguments. I can assure you that the steps
we have taken to arrive at this Strategy involved all this and more.
"This strategy has also benefitted from an exceptional amount of attention by our senior
uniformed and civilian leadership. On multiple occasions, we held all-day and multi-day discussions with
the Service Chiefs and every Combatant Commander. The Service Chiefs -- charged with developing the
force for the strategy -- were heard early and often. The Combatant Commanders -- charged with
executing the strategy -- all weighed in time and time again. And, we were all afforded extraordinary
access to both the President and the Secretary of Defense. Frankly, the breadth and depth of dialogue
to arrive at today's strategic choices was both necessary and noteworthy.
"Today, we are here to discuss the broad contours and central choices of this strategy. But,
this is not the end. Rather, it is a waypoint in a continuous and deliberate process to develop the Joint
Force we will need in 2020. There are four budget cycles between now and then. Each of these cycles
presents an opportunity to adjust how and what we do to achieve this strategy in the face of new
threats...and in the context of a changing security environment.
"It is a sound strategy. It ensures we remain the preeminent military in the world. It
preserves the talent of the All-Volunteer Force. It takes into account the lessons of the last ten years of
war. It acknowledges the imperative of a global, networked, and full-spectrum Joint Force.
"And, it responds to the new fiscal environment -- though as a learning organization, it is
important to note that even if we didn't have fewer resources, we would expect to change. As a
consequence, it calls for innovation -- new ways of operating and partnering. It rebalances our focus by
region and mission. It makes important investments in emerging and proven capabilities like cyber and
special operations.
"There has been much made about whether this strategy moves away from a force structure
explicitly designed to fight and win two wars simultaneously. Fundamentally, our strategy has always
been about our ability to respond to global contingencies wherever and whenever they happen. This
does not change. We will always provide a range of options for our nation. We can and will always be
able to do more than one thing at a time. More importantly, wherever we are confronted and in
whatever sequence, we will win.
"We do accept some risk, as all strategies must. Because we will be somewhat smaller, these
risks will be measured in time and capacity. However, we have to be honest -- we could face even
greater risks if we did not change from our current approach.
"I'm pleased with the outcome. It's not perfect. There will be people who will think it goes too
far. Others will say it doesn't go far enough. That probably makes it about right. It gives us what we
need -- in this world and within this budget -- to provide the best possible defense for our nation at a
time of great transitions. It prepares us for what we anticipate needing in 2020.

6. "This is a real strategy. It represents real choices. And, I am here today to assure you it has
real buy-in among our senior military and civilian leadership. This is not the strategy of a military in
decline. This is a Strategy -- and a Joint Force -- on which the nation can depend.
"I want to wrap up by saying just a couple of words about leadership. It is always important,
but absolutely essential during tough times. Make no mistake -- these are tough economic times, and
this strategy required some tough decisions. I want to thank President Obama and Secretary Panetta
for their leadership throughout this process.
"The real test, though, is in execution. Fortunately, the young men and women who will be
charged to carry out the lion's share of this strategy know something about leadership too. It is the
very cornerstone of our profession -- the profession of arms. And for the past ten years, they have
done nothing but lead in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. For that reason, above all
others, I am absolutely convinced and fully satisfied that this strategy will meet our Nation's needs for
the future.
"Thank you."