Unleashing the Dragon

Abstract : The National Security Strategy defines the objectives and goals for obtaining and ensuring the nation's security. The National Military Strategy is derived from the National Security Strategy and is formulated to establish objectives and methods to ensure the requirements set forth to the National Security Strategy are met. One would think that both the national and military strategies would complement one another in order to maximize the probability of success. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The National Security Strategy stresses engagement and enlargement as two methods to promote prosperity and global stability. As a result, the US has embarked on a goal of engaging China vice containing China. Accordingly, the economic sector has been the preeminent avenue of engagement. In fact, some scholars have described the rush of US commercial businesses to participate in Asia's economic boom as an example of "economic nationalism". This type of engagement has had an effect on the militaries of both China and the US. It has helped the Chinese military and hindered the US military. Chinese military and hindered the US military. The current US defense policy will, at best, meet with limited effectiveness in preventing future conflict with China. Although the US remains the sole world superpower, the current tendency to engage China as an economic windfall is undermining the US National Military Strategy and decreases US military capability.