To develop a military strategy tied to our national vital interests in the Middle East that certainly includes Iraq and Afghanistan, but looks beyond them as well.
U.S. Must Take ‘Long View'
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 – Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen’s top priority as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is to widen the scope of U.S. military strategy to look beyond the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan and strengthen security partnerships. Story
Priority 2
To reset, reconstitute, and revitalize our forces, especially the soldiers and Marines comprising our ground forces who have been pushed very hard over the last several years.
Mullen Pledges to Relieve Strain
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 – U.S. ground forces are not broken, but they are capable of breaking, the military's highest-ranking officer said, while vowing to make relieving strains on troops a top priority. Story
Priority 3
To properly balance global risk to help us maintain a position of leadership and preserve our freedom of action to counter the threat of transnational terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and associated technologies; to contend with regional instability, to deter aggressive
action by potentially hostile state actors, to help manage the growing competition for natural resources, to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters and pandemics; to take advantage of all the opportunities for international cooperation and progress our globalized world has to offer.
Chairman Identifies 'Tough Questions'
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 - In his first public speech as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen last night identified pressing questions the United States faces as it attempts to counter emerging threats while maintaining a position of leadership.
How can a violent extremist movement that increasingly targets the integrated nature of the largely globalized world be effectively eliminated in both the short and the long term?
How can the development of weapons of mass destruction by or the transfer of associated technologies to aggressive regimes and radical extremists like al Qaeda be prevented?
How can regional instability stemming from accelerating global integration, intense nationalist and religious movements, and the spread of technology throughout the world be mitigated and localized?
How can the United States military remain sufficiently capable to deter aggressive actions by nations like Iran, North Korea, and others who seek to expand their military capability?
How can countries like China and Russia be effectively engaged to ensure that their growing regional influence
translates to cooperative participation in the global economic system?
How will global industrialization, world population expansion, and migration affect the consumption rates, the distribution, and the long term availability of vital resources such as water and energy?
How will competition for those resources affect global stability, and what role will the military play in managing these risks?
How can the local, regional, and potentially global effects of another tsunami like the one that hit in the Indian Ocean Basin almost three years ago or another earthquake like the one that devastated parts of Pakistan in 2005 or another Hurricane Katrina or even the California wildfires that dominate the news today be mitigated?
What impact will a massive natural disaster or a global pandemic have throughout the world, and how can militaries work together to alleviate the shock to the global system?
How can we do all that is required of us and still remain good stewards of our nation's resources?Story
Travels with Mullen
During a two-day trip Oct. 23 to 25, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen visited at Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Riley and Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas. American Forces Press Service Report Fred Baker III
traveled with the chairman to report on his activities. His articles follow:
