It’s impossible not to see that the relatively benign security environment of the early post-Cold War years has given way to an increasingly dangerous world. Today, there is a growing bipartisan consensus in Washington that America’s armed forces need help, and that the defense budget cuts caused by sequestration must be undone. Despite this, policymakers and politicians alike have lacked a clear roadmap for responding to this new reality.

Until now. In a new report, “To Rebuild America’s Military,” the American Enterprise Institute’s Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies defense team proposes a detailed, comprehensive strategy to correct the current course and enable the next administration to rebuild America’s military.

A sound defense plan begins by understanding the purpose of the armed forces: protection of the vital, transcendent interests of the United States. America’s military strength maintains the peace by deterring aggression against the United States. It also supports other tools of national influence, such as diplomacy, economic power, and intelligence.

The complete text is available at thehill.com.

More:

• Report: To rebuild America’s military
• Infographic: The ‘three theaters‘
• Four tips for sound defense planning