15 December 2000
Source:
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=00121401.plt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
US Department of State
International Information Programs
Washington File
_________________________________
14 December 2000
(Shelton says U.S. must be engaged in multiple regions) (1070)
By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Affairs Writer
Washington -- The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) says the
greatest investment of U.S. time, energy and diplomacy must be focused
in the future on developments in Asia, the Middle East and Russia
since these regions "have the potential to dramatically affect
America's economic, political and security interests."
In a speech to the National Press Club December 14, Army General Henry
"Hugh" Shelton said Asia's future "will not be decided in Pyongyang,
but rather on the high frontiers of the Kashmir, on the floor of the
Tokyo stock exchange, and in the special economic zones of Shanghai
and Hong Kong." Having just returned from China in November, Shelton
said he is convinced that all elements of U.S. power and diplomacy
should seek to ensure that "China does not become the 21st century's
version of the Soviet bear." He said it is in the interest of the
United States to remain engaged with China through a variety of
activities, and convince the Chinese of the importance of a peaceful
resolution of the Taiwan issue.
In the Middle East, Shelton said, Iraq is only one of several serious,
long-term U.S. concerns. While the Iraqi military threatens American
pilots daily and the Baghdad regime is insecure internally, the
principle military adviser to the President and the secretary of
defense said it is instability throughout the Middle East that
presents the greatest challenges to U.S. interests over time. "The
focal points are the Israel-Palestine issue and the tensions between
modernism and fundamentalism in a region that is also a tinderbox of
economic, political, and religious conflicts," he added.
Meanwhile, in Europe where the Balkans region remains a very serious
concern, Shelton said "the situation there pales in comparison with
events in Russia." Europe's future will not hinge on the status of
Kosovo or the creation of a new Serbia, he argued.
Rather, Shelton said, "the future of Europe swings on the path that
Russian nationalism takes and whether Russia can continue its peaceful
evolution into a fully democratic nation with a stable economy that
abides by the rule of law." Having just returned this week from a
meeting in Moscow with the Russian chief of staff, the chairman said
that he and his Russian counterpart discussed the thousands of nuclear
and chemical weapons that remain in storage throughout Russia. The
nuclear warheads, in particular, "present a most profound danger to
our security, should they fall into the wrong hands," he said, and
there are many such hands trying to obtain them.
National security is not only about defense, said Shelton, whose
current term as JCS chairman runs through September of 2001. It is
also about U.S. economic prosperity, America's role as a world leader,
as well as assistance programs "for friends, partners, and allies
around the globe." U.S. national security "is enhanced by a strong
defense industry making world class equipment that becomes the envy of
all," he said, "and ultimately it contributes to strong overseas sales
which, while enhancing our security, increase our military
interoperability, bind us closer to friends and partner nations, and
promote our nation's economic prosperity."
Shelton used part of his speech to explain what factors should support
future informed decisions to employ U.S. military force. He said
military intervention must be linked to a discernible national
interest or it will likely not be sustainable. The more remote the
vital U.S. national interest is, he said, "the more challenging it
becomes to sustain support over time."
The chairman said military operations also require American public
support as reflected by Congress. As the world's sole superpower,
Shelton said American leaders have to ask tough questions such as "do
we dare admit that force cannot solve every problem?"
Several realities may complicate future decisions to use military
power, Shelton said, such as the impact of instantaneous
communications serving to compress reaction time, the diversity of
threats and non-state actors sowing conflict, the expectation of
additional failed states, and the expansion of range and types of
conflicts to include information warfare.
Keeping America strong at home helps it be strong abroad, according to
Shelton. To address a variety of potential emerging threats, the
Defense Department has made a number of organizational and structural
changes. One of them has involved expanding responsibilities of the
U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) to include computer network attack. When
directed to do so by the National Command Authority, he said, SPACECOM
will have the authority to conduct "offensive operations against an
adversary's systems."
Much of the question-and-answer period focused on how Shelton might
advise President-elect George Bush about the future Quadrennial
Defense Review, defense budget issues, future weapons programs, and
regional problems. The chairman said he had made it his practice not
to share policy advice publicly, but he did indicate that the Balkan
region requires attention. The key to sustaining peace and allowing
the further withdrawal of military forces, he said, is the
civil-implementation plan to accomplish tasks such as creating a court
system and re-establishing the rule of law. Over the long term,
Shelton said, "we must press hard" on civil implementation with
allies, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO,
and the U.N.
In the Balkans, Shelton said, leaders need to consider ways to use all
the political, economic, diplomatic, and military tools in America's
kit bag and to work within the NATO alliance "to establish a way ahead
that is equitable" and exerts pressure to achieve civil implementation
so that military forces can be reduced.
Shelton was also asked about stability in South Asia. The relationship
between India and Pakistan "is crucial in terms of maintaining
stability" in that region so that "we don't have a war," he said,
"particularly between two nations" that possess nuclear weapons.
Asked about the need for a National Missile Defense (NMD) program,
Shelton said there is an evolving proliferation threat. The technology
issue is being worked now, he said, and then the issue of cost must be
weighed with U.S. friends and allies. "We're moving in the right
direction," he added.
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