The Quadrennial Defense Review, a specific document that comes out every four years from the Department of Defense has come out and this document sets out US Objectives for the next four years in terms of defense services. Included in this objective has been that the US would continue war against Al Qaeda indefinitely. This is no longer included in the 2010 document.
No More Long War
This is primarily due to Defense Secretary Bob Gates who is significantly changing US Defense Policy for the better.
Here's a significant change from the 2006 document to the 2010 document.
* References to the "Long War" in 2006 QDR: 31, not counting the 10 pages in the chapter titled "Fighting the Long War"
* References to the "Long War" in 2010 QDR: 0
In other words, the document references the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq but it doesn't link them. It doesn't create a narrative that these wars are part of a broader effort on the war on terror. Because according to this document, there is no war on terror. That's a very good thing. It means we're not going to be fighting indefinitely an amorphous enemy that could consistently shape and be anywhere. We're going to be PREPARING for them, but that's completely different than preparing for conflict with them.
And why the hell not? It makes sense to defend against capabilities, not enemies, because if you identify what capabilities threaten you, you have a defense against whoever uses them. Someone might object that such a construct neglects the broader struggle against those enemies. But it does no such thing. It just recognizes that those missions aren’t military ones.
For folks looking for some good news of the day this is it. It's something I've been awaiting in terms of Foreign Policy for a very long time. My advice for folks who want to know more about the QDR, look at Gates' and Mullen's testimonies on Tuesday in front of the Senate Armed Services. From 9a-12p et, they will be discussing this document. Shortly after that, from 12p-1p et, they will be discussing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."