By Oleg Svet, Strategy Bridge: “ ... over the past two decades U.S. commanders quietly came to recognize this reality and transformed the military from “a force of confrontation to one of cooperation.” When a crisis erupts today, America responds “not by sending combat forces...but instead by sending weapons, trainers, and advisors.” In other words, it tries (and often succeeds) in finding allies whose interests are sufficiently close to those of the U.S. they are willing fight its wars.”
By Bryan Clark, Mark Gunzinger & Jesse Sloman , CSBA: “The United States has again entered a period characterized by great power competition after a quarter century as the world’s sole superpower. By expanding exports in a globalizing economy and exploiting the precision-strike weapons revolution, China and Russia have improved their military capabilities and economic positions over the last 20 years. They now seek to revise the international order in their favor, in part by undermining U.S. influence in their regions and beyond.”