The concept of cooperative security is to prevent aggression by making preparations to do so more difficult. The concept of collective security is to deter aggression through counter threat. The reconciliation of the concept of defensive forces with the need for power projection is not that difficult to follow since many of our systems are both offensive and defensive at the same time. However, these mutually reinforcing concepts assume that war is inevitable but calls for a significant reduction in the size of U. S. ground, naval, and air forces.

I do not have faith in concepts that states that your best defense is the threat of offence and then ask that you dismantle you offensive threat weapons. It is not prudent to assume that the cost, the political risk, and the operational burdens will be shared given that U. S. national interest may differ from every other nation within the arrangement. National decision-makers would be committing political suicide for obligating U. S. assets without taking into account our national interest. National interest is what drives the U.S. Political machine we all know as the National Security Strategy.

A. Carter, W. Perry, J. Steinbruner, “A New Concept of Cooperative Security.”

Lieutenant Ken Rice is an Active Duty Naval Officer stationed in Norfolk VA. He is currently assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Force's Warfare Requirments Directorate as the FORCEnet Requirements Officer. Lieutenant Rice is responsible for the program analasys and budget oversight for Information Technology Transformation for the Surface Fleet. He is currently enrolled at Regent University working towards a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership.

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