WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling for balance between military and soft power, according to a mandated review of the U.S. Defense Department's mission.
The Defense Department has released its first Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review under the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress.
The review addresses the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the evolving terrorist threat and ongoing asymmetric warfare, and calls for improving organization and training of military forces to counter threats.
Gates echoed in the review his call for striking a balance between military capabilities and diplomacy to more effectively combat current and future adversaries in what he described as a "complex security environment."
"One of the most important lessons from recent operations is that military success does not equate to victory," Gates wrote in the review.
"There is still much work to be done. ... We must continue initiatives that establish the right balance between winning today's wars and preventing tomorrow's conflicts."
