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.