Recently, the US media exposed the US Department of Defense’s “Military Restructuring Plan”, which attracted widespread attention from the outside world. The plan covers the reorganization of defense agencies and the merger of theater commands. Foreign media said that this is the United States' reshaping its military deployment form.

  Renamed the Ministry of Defense

  In late March, at the instruction of US President Trump, US Secretary of Defense Hegsey took the lead in conducting a national opinion poll to solicit the public's attitude towards the rename of the "Defense Department" to the "Defense Department". Data shows that 54% of respondents tend to change their names.

  Foreign media pointed out that the move was an ostensibly a name change, but in fact it was the United States laying the groundwork for the possible subsequent more radical military action. In 1789, the United States, which had just been independent, established the "War Department" to manage war-related affairs. During the period of the institution, the United States expanded from the North American continent to a global scale. After the end of World War II, in order to shape the image of a "world peace defender", the United States merged the "Department of War" and the "Department of Navy" in 1947, and later renamed it to the "Department of Defense" to demonstrate the shift of US military strategy from "active war" to "global defense."

  The Department of Defense’s name change plan was interpreted by the US media as a reinterpretation of the connotation of national defense, which means that the United States will adjust to a more offensive defense direction. The plan sparked heated debate in the United States.

  Supporters represented by Musk believe that the United States' military strength is used to maintain global dominance rather than simply local defense, and it is more realistic to rename the "Department of War". Opponents said that the United States is heading for a dangerous path, and the label of the "Department of War" will solidify the negative image of the United States' "global hegemony manipulator", make it more isolated in the international community, and exacerbate global tensions.

  Some comments said that renaming the US Department of Defense is a key part of the "military restructuring plan" and will drive a series of defence agencies to sanction and reorganize.

  Reorganize defense agencies

  In the plan exposed this time, the US Department of Defense will integrate the Cooperative Command and optimize the structure of the Joint Staff, Strategic Command and other departments.

  The adjustment of the combat command has attracted much attention. Currently, the US Department of Defense has 6 theater commands, including the Indo-Pacific Command, the Southern Command, the Northern Command, the Central Command, the African Command and the European Command. The US Department of Defense plans to merge the European Command and the African Command, with its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany; merge the Northern Command and the Southern Command to establish the America Command. The U.S. Department of Defense evaluates that through the Integrated Operations Command, it can save $330 million.

  The report pointed out that the United States plans to reduce 2 combat commands, reflecting that its defense strategy shows a parallel trend of "local retraction" and "radiating to the Indo-Pacific".

  In addition to adjusting the combat command, there are new changes in the US military's overseas military deployment. Trump will suspend the expansion plan of the US military in Japan, with an estimated savings of US$1.18 billion. This move is interpreted as the United States will continue to put pressure on Indo-Pacific allies in the future, so that allies in the region will assume more defense responsibilities and funding. At the same time, the United States plans to establish institutions such as the South Korean/Japanese Space Force Command in the region.

  The Joint Staff, which has the power to command the battlefield, is facing reform and reorganization. The agency's Operational Planning and Joint Force Development Department will be abolished, and the department is responsible for overseeing joint training and education for various services. The U.S. military will follow the business model, form a supervisory agency and efficiency assessment department, and move the Department of Personnel, Logistics, and Strategic Planning and Policy to a base in Suffolk, Virginia.

  Another core department, the Strategic Command, will also make structural adjustments. The information warfare joint combat research center and other institutions under its jurisdiction mainly assist the US military in carrying out information warfare tasks, and are facing withdrawal due to their lack of actual effectiveness. It is estimated that the Joint Staff and Strategic Command adjustments could save $1 billion in five years.

  In order to optimize resource allocation and command system, the missile defense department of the US Space Command will be cancelled, and the missile defense mission will be undertaken by various services and combat commands.

  In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is considering relinquishing its position as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. This move is seen as an important signal to stay away from NATO's European allies. The Supreme Allied Command is responsible for the organization and command of the military operations of NATO Allied Forces. According to convention, the Supreme Allied Commander is the commander of the United States European Command.

  Aroused opposition from multiple parties

  The "Military Restructuring Plan" has caused great controversy in the United States.

  Hegseys declared that the plan could optimize military resources, improve mission efficiency, and expand deterrence influence.

  Opponents believe that the entire restructuring plan is full of business models and is profit-oriented speculation. They said that almost all adjustments were clearly marked, and the whole process was mainly focused on compression spending.

  Some senior US military officials said that the adjustments were unrealistic and affected overall cohesion and execution. As far as the merger of combat commands is concerned, both the African and European commands and the Northern and Southern commands may cause a series of problems. The geopolitics of Africa are complex and military operations involve multiple interests. The European Command and African Command have different mission focus. After the merger, the long-term military layout of the US military in Africa will be affected. At the same time, the Northern Command focuses on U.S. homeland defense and cooperates with Canada and Mexico; the Southern Command is responsible for Central, South America and the Caribbean. After the integration of the two major commands, the control and operation scope of combat commanders has been greatly expanded, which may affect the coordination and command efficiency of the army due to the lack of corresponding decision-making and coordination mechanisms.

  In addition, recent leaks of confidential information by senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly caused public concerns, which may hinder the progress of the restructuring plan to a certain extent.

[Editor in charge: Gao Qiang]