Panel Discussion: A New American Way of War

Robert Work, David Ochmanek, and Chris Dougherty host a panel discussion on why the U.S. military needs to change how it fights to meet the challenge of great-power competition as described in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Susanna V. Blume moderates.

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About A New American Way of War

The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) declared that the central problem facing the U.S. military was an erosion of its advantage against China and Russia. While not entirely novel—previous work inside and outside the Department of Defense (DoD) had cited this issue—it was the first official DoD document to declare it central to our overarching strategy.

This project begins with the hypothesis that the military challenges posed by China and Russia demand a fundamental re-thinking of how the United States fights wars. This is more than technologies or specific concepts of operation, it is a new overarching concept for how the U.S. military will achieve the nation’s political goals in the most stressing scenarios.

By focusing on the question of how—i.e., the ways—this project will illuminate feasible ends and inform the means necessary to achieve them. It will shape a future military strategy to win the 21st century competitions with China and Russia, while also meeting U.S. responsibilities elsewhere in an affordable and sustainable manner.