Défense

Seventy-five years since the attacks on Pearl Harbor that spurred U.S. involvement in World War II, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada met in Tokyo today to affirm an enduring alliance of peace.

Russia and China are rising in importance among the state powers that occupy the attention of Defense Department officials these days, and deterring those nations is the entire focus of the Pentagon’s third offset strategy.

The United States “is a Pacific nation and a Pacific power. It always has been and it always will be” said Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Command. The Indo-Asia-Pacific region remains “the most consequential area for America’s future”.

A range of advanced technologies combined with new operational and organizational constructs make up the DoD’s Third Offset Strategy, an initiative that seeks to ensure the U.S. military stays well ahead of its most aggressive competitors.

The Department of Defense's Strategic Capabilities Office -- where scientists and engineers take military systems that do one thing and make them do something completely different -- is a near-term asset.

After 15 years of continuous combat operations focused on counterterrorism, irregular warfare, and nation building, the joint force is now preparing for a future that demands skill across the full range of military operations, including high-end, multidomain warfare against large state competitors.

Global security threats today must be viewed in a transregional, multi-domain and multifunctional context, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command said Oct. 21.

Russia's alleged violations of airspace in the Nordic-Baltic region are unacceptable, dangerous and unprofessional, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said, after both Finland and Estonia accused Russia of breaches.

All three legs of the nuclear triad operate with a high degree of readiness, reliability and excellence, but the aging systems need more investment for the future.

NATO needs to approach Russia from a "position of strength," while keeping the channels open for discussions and possible collaboration.