General Ray Odierno
General Ray Odierno appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday for his confirmation hearing to become the Army’s 38th top officer. In his prepared opening statement, after thanking his family for its support, he turned to the threats the country faces today:
We face a multitude of security challenges, such as transnational and regional terrorism in places like Yemen, Somalia, North Africa and Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. We have uncertainty surrounding the Arab Spring and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and we face the challenges of rising powers.
That was it. No Soviet Union-like nor any existing major state listed. Yemen and Somalia were the only two states cited by name. Plus “the challenges of rising powers,” whatever that means. It’s an amazingly paltry list given how much we spend on national defense.