Less is More: The Future of the U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf

Implementing Restraint: Changes in U.S. Regional Security Policies to Operationalize a Realist Grand Strategy of Restraint

“…Advocates of restraint seek to conserve U.S. resources to prevent the emergence of a hegemon in East Asia, Europe, or the Persian Gulf. 73 Although advocates of restraint do aim to reduce the U.S. defense budget, they do not seek to abandon U.S. forward presence or military operations entirely. Under a grand strategy of restraint, the United States would still be willing to use force outside the defense of its homeland to defend key interests and may maintain some key security commitments.…”

“…Recent trends, which we discuss later in the report, might affect the assessment of where and to what extent the United States retains command of the commons today and in the future. 73 Mearsheimer and Walt, 2016. 74 Mearsheimer and Walt, 2016, p. 72.…”

“…The current U.S. way of war is predicated on working "by, with, and through our allies and partners." 73 This is necessary to execute current U.S. grand strategy because the only U.S. territory in the region is Guam, a remote outpost from which to attempt to command the commons of Asia and defend all current U.S. allies and partners. Given existing military technology, it is difficult to project the necessary 73 DoD, 2018, p. 5. combat power from the U.S. homeland to meet current U.S. objectives with sufficient speed and over a sustained period of time.…”

“…73 This is necessary to execute current U.S. grand strategy because the only U.S. territory in the region is Guam, a remote outpost from which to attempt to command the commons of Asia and defend all current U.S. allies and partners. Given existing military technology, it is difficult to project the necessary 73 DoD, 2018, p. 5. combat power from the U.S. homeland to meet current U.S. objectives with sufficient speed and over a sustained period of time. Advocates of restraint have not yet offered detailed prescriptions on how they would modify U.S. posture in the Asia-Pacific to account for changes in U.S. commitments and other policies.…”

MENA Bölgesinde Askeri Harcama Yüklerinin Yakınsaması

“…46 Withdrawal of the US assets from the region due to changing threats and political interests in the region may force Gulf countries to increase the resources allocated for military purposes. 47 Geographical proximity to rivals or expected threats may also shape military spending decisions. Kollias and Paleologou report that the Greek defense burden is affected by the Turkish military burden and any strategic event that is important for both countries.…”