Early in the next century, the United States will face a major challenge in funding a superpower military without compromising other federal priorities. However, the US military still has not completed the revolution in military affairs that is the essential foundation of 21st Century dominance. The Quadrennial Defense Review of 1997 suggested a new course for defense strategy where expeditionary forces will halt enemy movements rapidly in a crisis. These expeditionary forces, built around a core of airpower, would shape and decide future conflicts. This strategy would also provide an opportunity to reduce military manpower costs, with the savings going to modernization projects.

The issue of reducing the role of manpower-intensive forces generated spirited debate during and after the release of the QDR. The Gift of Time seeks to capture some of those arguments and to present the strategic rationales and cost data for further discussion. Most important, the paper is also designed to place the debates on manpower and firepower in the context of the nation's heritage and of its future defense needs.