Future of the U.S. Military

General Shalikashvili, who recently resigned as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about the future of the U.S. military. He lauded the men and women of the armed forces whose work has made the U.S. secure. He discussed post-Cold War reductions in military personnel and the consequent budget reductions. He also talked about the ethnic and religious conflicts around the world in the past four years which resulted in 40 separate operations for U.S. armed forces. Bosnia is the most prominent of these. He encouraged taking stock of the relationship between the military and U.S. citizens. The audience-question segment was not aired.