Every four years, the U.S. Department of Defense issues a vision statement that outlines U.S. defense priorities and the ways it intends to meet them. The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) provides a window on the thinking of the administration that writes it. The new QDR, released Feb. 1 by President Barack Obama's administration, in many ways demonstrates continuity with its predecessor more than change, although it does present two important departures. Most significant is the recognition that realization of U.S. strategic objectives depends on active collaboration with other agencies of the U.S. government as well as allies and partners abroad.
Administrations may change but national interests endure. By that yardstick, the coming to power of the Obama administration should have minimal impact on the defense policy of the United States. And indeed, the new QDR looks remarkably similar to earlier versions. The document notes that "the United States is a nation at war." In addition to deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S., "its allies and partners remain engaged in a broader war — a multifaceted political, military and moral struggle — against al-Qaida and its allies around the world."
The U.S. military has four primary objectives — all of which look familiar. The Department of Defense must: prevail in today's wars; prevent and deter conflicts; prepare to defeat adversaries and succeed in a wide range of contingencies; and preserve and enhance the All Volunteer Force. Significantly, the new QDR continues the previous administration's emphasis on the threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. And all the while, the military must meet those objectives amid a rapidly changing international system.