A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key US Allies and Security Partners
Published By: Army University Press
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In a world where the United States now faces two major revisionist powers, Russia and China, and additional security threats from North Korea, Iran and jihadist terrorism, a critical advantage for the United States is its global network of alliances and strategic partners. As the 2018 National Defense Strategy states: “Alliances and partnerships are crucial to our strategy, providing a durable asymmetric strategic advantage that no competitor or rival can match.”
The advantage of having military allies and partners is enhanced by the fact that, while the global security environment has grown more complex and difficult over the past decade, the core capacity of the American military has remained largely the same. In short, the United States needs allies and security partners. But it needs allies and partners that can pull their weight militarily if the United States is going to be able to maintain a favorable balance of power in critical regions of the world. The second edition of “A Hard Look at Hard Power” provides an in-depth examination of the overall strategic perspective, defense plans, budgets, and capabilities of seven key European and Asian allies, three front-line strategic partners, and NATO.
Praise for “A Hard Look at Hard Power”
“Gary Schmitt and his colleagues, writing five years after the first edition of ‘A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key US Allies and Strategic Partners,’ provide a comprehensive census of allied and partner military capabilities. This updated volume could not be a more timely contribution to the debate over national security as Americans assess what kind of role the US can and should play in maintaining global order. Every serious analyst of international affairs will need to reckon with its findings.”
— Eric S. Edelman, former under secretary of defense for policy and co-chair of the National Defense Strategy Commission
