U.S. Military Engagement in International Security Essay

Introduction

There is no doubt that the international security environment has undergone many structural changes in the 21st century. As a result, it has become necessary to involve the United States military in a bid to cope with some of the emerging challenges. Also, the U.S defense policymakers see need for involving the military in a number of areas in a bid to ascertain that viable security measures are put in place. Such precautions are also capable of protecting the nation from any form of danger. There are a number of key issues which the policymakers often view as potential threats which necessitate the attention of the military and it is also evident that the United States military capabilities need to evolve in the early twenty-first century.

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Challenges in the International Security Environment

The return of the competition involving world superpowers is one of the challenges that policy makers believe requires the involvement of the U.S military. At the beginning of the 1990s, the United States was viewed as the world`s greatest superpower and no other nation came close to attaining that coveted title. Recently, however, many great nations such as Russia and China are posing an imminent threat to the U.S in many areas including defense. In addition to this, the newly emerging powerful nations are threatening the international order previously established by America ever since the end of the Second World War (DiFilippo, 2015).

There resurgence of nations such as Russia make it increasingly difficult to comprehend its future plans and in this case, it would be advisable for the U.S to remain alert in case of any occurrence. It is also evident that during the 90s when America had great freedom in regards to undertaking its activities in the international sphere, its prowess atrophied because no other nation appeared to pose significant competition (DiFilippo, 2015). The United States will also have to cooperate with other super powers to avoid any confrontations but at the same time stay vigilant by involving military action in the event that either of the competitors decides to retaliate. For example, during the cold war which featured the Soviet Union and U.S military participation was of critical essence as both nations sought to establish their supremacy.

The emergence of transnational terrorist organizations such as the AL Qaeda has made it increasingly necessary for the U.S military to be involved in international security matters. It is widely acknowledged that the Al Qaeda was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States. This occurrence led to the change of perspectives regarding terrorism and the measures that can be taken to counter it. Regardless of the idea that tools for dealing with terrorism have existed since the 1960`s, the actions of AL Qaeda proved that there were greater forces at work which required more advanced security measures (DiFilippo, 2015).

To further elaborate on the above factor, it is also apparent that terrorist networks are increasing rapidly in the contemporary world. Involving the U.S military would, therefore, assist in ensuring that such groups of individuals do not end up becoming an endangerment to the international community. Counterterrorism is arguably one of America`s leading initiatives which requires the involvement of the military (Biscop, 2016). The U.S is keen to prevent the occurrence of any form of terrorism in the nation and also the international community at large by invoking the participation of various bodies. Also, the adoption of special security departments such as homeland security only serve as a countermeasure to protect the country from any form of atrocity. The military has also been sent out to the nations where some of the purported terrorist groups are believed to have inhabited in a bid to exterminate them and also render their acts of terror ineffective.

It is also apparent that military involvement in matters of international security could be prompted by the adoption of assertive military and paramilitary incentives by super powers such as Russia and China, which have relentlessly been seeking to dethrone the U.S in the international community. It is evident that Russia is using military tactics in a bid to showcase its dominance. For instance, the hybrid and ambiguous warfare programs are examples of some of the wars that the nation is engaging the military. Similarly, China is keen on gaining control with the employment of salami-slicing and gray-zone warfare tactics using its military (Krishnan, 2016). Policymakers, therefore, see no reason why the United States should be left behind, since it is also essential for them to confirm that despite the new uprisings they are still as relevant as they were initially.

Through the deployment of additional military reinforcements, the United States is in a position to show that it is still in control of world affairs. In case, the U.S chooses to remain reluctant by not involving the army in international affairs, it is possible that it can be deemed to have lacked the required power and other nations which are up to the task may end up taking advantage of this (Fierke, 2015). Defense policy makers have often been criticized for the current situation whereby the U.S is spending up to $1billion in military efforts whereas menial sums of money are spent on international forms of engagement (Fierke, 2015). They have, however, defended the plan by indicating that the nation focuses on what matters to it at each particular point in time, and at the moment, security is a top priority for the U.S.

In some circumstances, the humanitarian aid missions often experience significant security challenges in the course of their duty. According to policy makers, such encounters warrant the reinforcement of military security. This is due to the fact that a great majority of areas where such individuals move to offer assistance are war-torn areas or those that are inhabited by terrorists (Fierke, 2015). Also, it is highly likely that such individuals can be taken as hostages by terrorists for being American citizens thus further resulting in costly missions seeking to rescue them; something that may end up being successful or not. The issue of involving the military in such missions dates back to Alexander the Great`s time, where it viewed as humane for a country to assist a nation that it has conquered (Fierke, 2015).

There is no doubt that America has managed to create enemies and friends in equal measure. In such a case, it is understandable why the policy makers would deem it essential to involve the military in humanitarian activities. For instance, the many uprisings in the Middle East and areas such as Syria have posed a great challenge to humanitarian efforts. Also, the insecurity situation in Yemen is widely acknowledged yet philanthropic endeavors have to be undertaken in the country (Department of the Army Headquarters, United States, 1994). The participation of the military in such a missions is, therefore, justifiable. It is believed that military assistance and acts of humanities come into play especially where the latter assists in uplifting the community whereas the former ensures that security is fostered and that the economy of the ailing nation is protected from collapsing.

Technology, on the other hand, is also another problem which policy makers see as requiring the actual or potential application of U.S. military force. Currently, the invention of numerous technological applications has led to the establishment of a new era where terrorists are more empowered, thus posing a significant threat. Also, currently, many military activities are undertaken through the application of technological gadgets such as drones. A good example of such an occurrence is in the elimination of Osama bin laden, one of the most vicious terrorists of all times (DiFilippo, 2015). The challenge, however, is the extraneous costs that come as a result of technology use. Many sceptics think that sending additional military individuals is better and more affordable as opposed to adopting the expensive technology which has become the norm in the modern world.

Areas that require change

With the many advancements being experienced in the 21st century, there is no doubt that the military capabilities need to evolve in a number of areas in order for them to be more capable in terms of the international strategic environment. First of all, it is a high time that the military realizes that war is no longer a necessity in regards to pursuing international objectives (Vine, 2015). The crises formerly experienced during the Second World War are likely to continue in the 21st century with the United States army being called upon to quell the conflict. There is, therefore, need for the army to adopt better strategies that will ensure that the bloody skirmishes formerly experienced in the past do not occur again.

The United States army also has to be prepared for the eventualities of war and as well appreciate the best means of perpetuating peaceful coexistence in the international community. By doing so, the U.S military has to expand its scope of thought into understanding the mechanism of conflicts beyond western horizons (DiFilippo, 2015). This would assist in coming up with better means of dealing with war in other areas of the world and also ensure that conflicts are resolved in a more amicable fashion.

Another change that ought to be made pertains to the challenge caused by technological advancements. These aspects have made it increasingly difficult for the military to counter terrorist activities. In order for the army to be in a position to cope with such encounters, they may solicit other technical strengths such as the adoption of incentives, for example, the navy satellite technology which is bound to greatly improve their land operations (DiFilippo, 2015). This will ensure that they are in a position to deal with all challenges in the international environment irrespective of the geographic locality. Many of the successes in the past have emanated not from the technological advances that have occurred but from a combination of both existing and new forms of technology. For example, the radio assisted in the coordinated air-ground operations in the course of World War I (Vine, 2015). The potential of the military following the introduction of new forms of technology is undoubtedly so great that it necessitates redress.

The military also has to be prepared to deal with the fast emerging trends in technology. For instance, it expected that the speed with which information moves from one commander to the next in the battle field is bound to increase at a tremendous rate. In the future, it is expected to that various military organizations will be in a position to function at levels which their adversaries may be incapable of matching. Also, the military has to realize that future operations will involve scenarios that are knowledge-based as opposed to current situations where most orders are given physically (Janowitz, 2017).

Further changes have to be made where the army is expected to leverage both logistics and combat roles. For instance, the 21st century military will be incapable of meeting military strategies set out in the absence of the aforementioned reserve components; the latter which have to be incorporated into training, doctrine and other incentives (Martin, 2017). There is no secret that further planning is required to combat impending contingencies which the U.S military is expected to experience in the next couple of decades. Logistic planning has to be further enhanced to ensure that various missions established such as: humanitarian and disaster...