Strategic Deterrence in the 21st Century.

The roll of strategic command in making the global engagement vision a reality can seem vague and on the periphery. But trust me, exactly the opposite is true. Our mission was essential in the past and I would submit, is crucial today as we embrace the global engagement concept. Nuclear deterrence is at the core of American national security strategy. Joint Vision 2010 defines the primary task of our Armed Forces to deter conflict, but should deterrence fail, to fight and to win. This is what we do at Strategic Command deterrence. It is what we do each and every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A basic issue that I want to talk to you about has to do with why we are still in the deterrence business The Cold War has ended. Why do we still need a deterrent force When the Cold War ended, it didnt end with parades and banner headlines. It ended with a fizzle. Ladies and gentlemen, I would submit that the loser really didnt lose in the traditional sense. When the Cold War ended, the loser retained its arsenal, including several thousands of nuclear warheads on alert. Because the Cold War ended in such an ambiguous manner, it has been hard to make our message heard--our message is that we still need to be around. I am going to talk a lot more about that later because I feel very strongly about this. When we fought World War II, 18 months after Pearl Harbor General Marshall had a group in the War Department looking at a post-World War II world. I would submit the end of the Cold War snuck up on us and we have been paying the price ever since. Clearly the world has changed a great deal in the last decade. It is a safer world. Through all this change, one thing remains constant and that is our unwavering emphasis and focus on deterrence.