The Global Era of National Policy and the Pan-Oceanic National Fleet

This article develops a framework for considering the future requirements for U.S. maritime power. It does so by proposing that these requirements must be considered within the context of an integrated National Fleet—the combined capabilities of the three “Sea Services”—the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. It also would include their reserve components, as well as the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force (RRF)—the two organizations responsible for maintaining the nation's strategic sealift fleet.     

Japan's Search for the ‘Sweet Spot’: International Cooperation and Regional Security in Northeast Asia

To analyze how Japan's competing objectives and specific policies have been evolving and how they trade off in today's regional security situation, this article argues that shifting Japanese foreign and security policies in Northeast Asia can be understood as ongoing responses to tensions along three key axes. First Japan confronts a tension between bilateralism and multilateralism; second Japan's economic and security interests are often at odds, and third, Japan still struggles with the competing pulls exerted by Asia on the one hand and the West (most particularly the United States) on the other.     

Enriching Sino-Japanese People-to-People Exchanges

At the invitation of NPO Corporation Sekai, Japan, a throe member delegation headed by Mr. Du Kening, Deputy Secretary-general of CAFIU visited Japan from July 24-29, and attended its sixth annual conference in Hiroshima. The delegation came into broad contacts with Japanese NGOs, politicians and business people and was basked in a friendly atmosphere. After recent ＂icebreaking＂, ＂ice- melting＂, ＂greeting-spring＂ and ＂warm -spring＂ visits made by the leaders of the two countries, the Sino- Japanese relations have come to a new historic point with new opportunities for development. Our Japanese friends from various circles agreed that we should earnestly implement the strategic consensus by the leaders of both sides, cherish the opportunities and further explore new ways to develop the relationship of the two countries.     

The Privatization of Security: Lessons from Iraq

Images of private forces in Iraq—killed and mutilated in Fallujah, implicated in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, and shooting up civilian vehicles—have provided a dramatic illustration of the role private security companies (pscs) now play in U.S. military operations. Though the United States’ use of contractors on the battlefield is not entirely new, the increased number of contractors deployed and the use of private security forces to perform an escalating number of tasks has created a new environment that poses important trade-offs for U.S. policy and military effectiveness and for U.S. relations with other states. This article outlines the history of U.S. contractors on the battlefield, compares that with the use of private security in Iraq, discusses the benefits and risks associated with their use, and proposes some trade-offs that decision-makers in the United States should consider while contemplating their use in the future.