Military Strategy Forum 2009 Series

The congressionally mandated QDR is intended to be the Department of Defense’s “comprehensive examination” of strategy and priorities. This year’s effort is seen as a particularly important tool for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as he seeks further adjustments in the department’s long-term course; its outcomes will likely serve as a historical marker against which his tenure is judged. Although the review is still ongoing, many expect one of the QDR’s most significant contributions to be a new force planning construct that will guide decisions on military force structure; it may also build on recent changes in acquisition and other key business processes. Overall, the dominant theme that emerged from the series was a desire for the QDR to produce a strategically coherent set of meaningful trade-offs, a significant feat given increasing fiscal constraints.

2009 Series

June 16, 2009
General Victor Renuart, Jr.
Commander, US Northern Command & North American Aerospace Command

June 4, 2009
General James Cartwright
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

June 1, 2009
General James Mattis
Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command

May 28, 2009
General George W. Casey, Jr.
Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army

May 21, 2009
General Norton Schwartz
Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

May 15, 2009
General James Conway
Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps

May 1, 2009
Admiral Gary Roughead
Chief of Naval Operations

April 29, 2009
Michèle Flournoy
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy