Bush administration doctrine of military preeminence - Definition and Overview

The Bush administration doctrine of military preeminence (informally called the "Hertz doctrine"--see below for coinage) is a name given to the foreign policy doctrine of maintaining United States military pre-eminence. The doctrine was announced on September 17th, 2002 in "The National Security Strategy of the United States" [1] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.html) together with the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive strikes.

The doctrine can be compared to the pre-World War I United Kingdom doctrine requiring their navy to be bigger than the combination of the next two largest navies and has also been described as the American version of the British Empire saying "The sun never sets on the British Empire".

The coinage "Hertz doctrine", after the Hertz Corporation advertising slogan "We're No. 1", first appeared in print in Judith Miller's October 26, 2002 New York Times op-ed column "Keeping U.S. No. 1: Is It Wise? Is It New?".

The doctrine is a pre-eminence doctrine based on the "unparalleled military strength," of the United States and its determination to maintain worldwide military supremacy. "Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military buildup in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States." [2] (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/26/arts/26STRA.html).

See also

• balance of power