View From the Top: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey is the top military adviser to President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. General Dempsey is responsible for managing the drawdown of our Afghanistan commitment, and for preparing the military for tomorrow's wars. We face a "security paradox," he says: while worldwide violence has declined, destructive technologies are proliferating among potential enemies among state and non-state actors. To meet challenges in space, cyber warfare and other emerging frontiers, a new "Joint Force of 2020" must be created, Dempsey says. That will be a complex task, inasmuch "as we look toward the future, each Service--and our total Joint Force--face fundamental questions about identity, roles and capabilities," as the Chairman's says.

Join us as we explore the future of the U.S. military in times of budget austerity and of a security environment characterized by complexity and uncertainty.