Economy of Force: Training U.S. Partner Militaries

As the U.S. military begins to draw down after a decade of war, budgetary constraints and a strategic rebalancing to Asia have made economy of force a guiding principle and capacity-building for partner militaries a watchword of U.S. forward defense. To win the small wars that will characterize conflict in the 21st century, the U.S. Army must learn from its experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan to improve its capability to train partner militaries. In Africa, enhancing partner militaries' ability to contain threats before they spread beyond the continent is central to Africom's mission. And the U.S. military's role in supporting counterterrorism efforts in the Philippines provides meaningful lessons for similar missions in the future.