Defense-The Need for Conventional Warfare as the U.S. Military Addresses the Environment and Threats of the 21st Century

The conclusion of the 20th Century witnessed the collapse of the former Soviet Union and marked the end of the cold war. The United States of America has entered the 21st Century as the world's lone global super power militarily and economically.. The United States (U.S.) entry into the new century has been marked by the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the subsequent U.S. military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as part of the Global War on Terrorism, which is ongoing nearly eight years later. There is a large debate today in both academic and military communities as to what the right road ahead is for the U.S. and in particular the U.S. military. How should the U.S. military best prepare in order to win the current Global War on Terror and simultaneously position itself to face the unknown threats, future conflicts, and wars it will be required to fight and win throughout the 21st Century? Does the U.S. Military need to possess a strong conventional type military force or is a more unconventional focused, trained, and equipped military force more reflective of what will be required to address and win the conflicts of the future? A large part of the debate focuses on determining what will be the environment and threats of the 21st Century, how should the U.S. Military best prepare for those threats, and are the U.S. Military and the U.S. Government learning the right lessons from the current War on terror to correctly address those perceived future threats.