Force Planning: The Crossroads of Strategy and the Political Process

While force planners must think about what the future security environment might look like, what technologies might be available, and how future forces might leverage these emerging technologies to meet the challenges of a future security environment, they must always be cognizant of domestic structural factors. The author argues that a force planner must always be guided by a coherent strategic logic. Structural factors can never be eliminated but a strong strategic rationale can minimize them.