[ed. - Thank you sleep deprivation and caffeine... The essay question I just hammered out for Chapter 18. Not having read this chapter, it may resemble a rant. I'm not even sure any more. Have I mentioned that this is all due Friday?]
2 . Describe the current threats to the peace and security of the United States. What types of military actions are most likely to take place in the future? Why?
It is widely believed that the most likely threat to the United States is a terrorist attack, one possibly without any sort of foreign state specifically behind it. There are a fair number of medium- to large-sized groups of foreign and domestic persons who are opposed to the United States government, and will utilize often high levels of violence in their attempts for political gain.
Due to this perceived increased threat, the United States is most likely to continue the "War on Terror," rooting out the cells of these organizations both at home and abroad. Preemptive intelligence gathering will be paramount in these efforts, as sleeper cells and insurgencies have little in common tactically and strategically with the Cold War armies of that bygone era. The dependence on HUMINT - Human Intelligence, often gathered through informers - has continued and may increase in this "unformatted" war.