alter our defense posture -- so any short-term savings will be quickly erased . In recognition of the growing asymmetrical threats we face and the evolving requirements of counterterrorism , we need a different set of capabilities . The world may have seen its last heavy armor battle between two nation-states . The relative importance of counterterrorism , intelligence , training and equipping foreign security forces , and special forces operations will continue to grow . Our forces must be designed appropriately . This means a greater focus on intelligence gathering and more agile special forces units , which can respond swiftly and firmly to terrorist threats in any corner of the globe . We must be prepared to respond to threats -- from al Qaeda and other terrorist cells -- that emanate from a much more diverse geography , including Yemen , the Horn of Africa , Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific region . We must also transform our orientation . By almost any objective measure -- population , economic power , military might , energy use -- the center of gravity of global human activity is moving toward the Asia-Pacific region . Embracing this reality may bring a dramatic
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A president 's most solemn duty is to protect America and her people -- a responsibility that , in a time of evolving security threats and unsustainable debt , will only grow harder for the next administration . In the aftermath of the failure of the super committee , we are facing cuts in defense . Yet there has still been little discussion about overall defense spending priorities and how we must transform our defense infrastructure for the 21st century . Some of my opponents suggest maintaining the status quo , thus avoiding the tough decisions . Others advocate retrenchment and isolationism through draconian across-the-board cuts , which brings greater instability and risks . Still others revert to the oft-repeated pledge to eliminate waste , fraud and abuse from the Pentagon -- a worthy cause yet one of minimal consequence . Cutting wasteful spending alone amounts to only pennies on the dollar and leaves in place the same archaic defense infrastructure . These approaches miss the target in two respects . First , they let resources drive strategy , rather than using strategy to drive force structure and capabilities . Second , they fail to fundamentally