Tuesday, November 2, 1999 10:15 to 11:45 a.m.
Panel 1:

Understanding the Implications of the 21st Century Challenges

Senator John Warner
Lieutenant General Patrick M. Hughes
Mr. Robert D. Kaplan
Dr. Richard A. Falkenrath

• Accelerating technological change, together with the emergence of new actors and issues, will continue to transform the 21st century security environment.
  
  
• Domestic politicsparticularly the expectation of casualty-free warfarewill increasingly constrain the United States in the use of military capabilities overseas.
  
  
• A fundamental reassessment of the roles and missions of the Services is needed to guide future force development and decision-making concerning intervention.
  
  
• Although information dominance will be indispensable, it is not a substitute for preponderant power on the ground. Therefore, the United States must maintain adequate forces equipped and prepared for a wide variety of tasks.
  
  
• The Armed Services face the risk of strategic over-extension, the cumulative effect of the numerous small-scale military operations that have characterized the post-Cold War period.
  
  
• The United States, the only power with global reach and responsibilities, will continue to bear most of the military burden on behalf of the international community.

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