EDITORIAL: U.S. defense review

The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) 2010, the first review of the U.S. Department of Defense's strategy and priorities under the Barack Obama administration, stresses international cooperation in dealing with new threats in this age of globalization.

Current conflicts weigh heavily on the United States. The future of Afghanistan is uncertain. Iraq is still far from stabilized. Fiscal problems will inevitably force the Obama administration to trim the nation's defense costs that now top $700 billion (64.504 trillion yen).

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote off as "outdated" the post-Cold War strategy of preparing for two major regional conflicts erupting simultaneously in the Middle East and East Asia.

The international security environment continues to grow more complex. The global security map has been redrawn by the emergence of nations such as China and India. And there are greater concerns now about weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of al-Qaida and other nonstate organizations and individuals.

Climate change has the potential to accelerate and exacerbate global instability and conflicts. The QDR 2010 urges the United States to gear up for "hybrid warfare" or a combination of various threats, including cyberterrorism.

The United States cannot single-handedly deal with all these threats. The review states that America's strengths and influence are "deeply intertwined with the fate of the broader international system--a system of alliances, partnerships and mutinational institutions."

This statement spells a clear departure from the "go it alone" policy of the George W. Bush administration. The Obama administration has made the right choice, and this is a welcome development for Japan, Europe and other allies of the United States.

Another notable feature of the QDR 2010 is that it stresses the importance of maintaining secure access to "global commons," such as navigation routes in the open seas, information on the Internet, outer space, and so on.

The point is that global commons, which no single nation-state may own or control, are indispensable to global security because abusing them would harm not only the United States but also the entire world.

The United States boasts state-of-the-art weapons and a sophisticated intelligence network, but the QDR 2010 raises doubts about China's motive for rapidly beefing up its military capabilities. The Pentagon regards China's anti-satellite and cyber-attack capabilities as a potential threat to the international security order.

The rules of international security are no longer for the United States alone to decide. The nation needs to collaborate even more closely in the days ahead with its allies and partners, such as Japan. And to create common rules, the United States must also advance dialogue with China and India, which now have an influence on global matters.

The Bush administration's obsession with missile defense is not shared by the Obama administration. The latter's policy was laid down in the Ballistic Missile Defense Review issued together with the QDR 2010.

The United States will continue developing its missile defense against North Korea and Iran, which refuse to abandon their nuclear programs, but the United States will also cooperate with Russia in information sharing and other areas to promote nuclear disarmament, according to the review.

The United States also intends to keep China in the loop.

Preventing nuclear proliferation forms the core of the Obama administration's defense strategy. We hope the administration will take bold initiatives in close collaboration with the rest of the world.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 3