Do Fewer Resources Mean Less Influence? A Comparative Historical Case Study of Military Influence in A Time of Austerity

In the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, military

planners speak at great length about the importance of

rebalancing our armed forces. As a result of the Budget

Control Act of 2011, our U.S. Armed Forces have

absorbed significant budget cuts, which are projected

to continue into 2016. Not surprisingly, a major theme

of the Quadrennial Defense Review is the necessity of

making tough choices in a period of fiscal austerity.1

As Dr. Manjikian's analysis points out, however,

many of the themes raised by policymakers, military

analysts and the general public in relation to this new

politics of austerity are not actually new. Rather, such

conversations have taken place at the end of U.S. military

actions after the Korean War, in Vietnam, and at

the end of the Cold War.