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In his assessment of the new Quadrennial Defense Review, General Martin E. Dempsey – the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – provides the below list of priorities. He uses this list “to advise the Secretary of Defense and the President and to determine how to distribute the force among our Combatant Commanders.”

1. Maintain a secure and effective nuclear deterrent;
2. Provide for military defense of the homeland;
3. Defeat an adversary;
4. Provide a global, stabilizing presence;
5. Combat terrorism;
6. Counter weapons of mass destruction;
7. Deny an adversary’s objectives;
8. Respond to crisis and conduct limited contingency operations;
9. Conduct military engagement and security cooperation;
10. Conduct stability and counterinsurgency operations;
11. Provide support to civil authorities; and
12. Conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Check out our interview with General Dempsey.

Image: DoD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo