Integrated Deterrence Is Key to Meeting Challenge of Future Conflicts, Brown Says

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., today explained how incorporating the concept of integrated deterrence - the Defense Department's planning, coordinating and operating with all government agencies, as well as allies and partners - is key to meeting the challenges of an increasingly complex strategic environment.

Brown discussed the concept while delivering a keynote speech at the 2024 U.S. Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska.

"We are in the midst of a mindset shift when it comes to how we think about deterrence," Brown told the crowd, noting that the geopolitical landscape of today is more complex than that of the Cold War era.

"Instead of a bipolar world, we're facing multiple adversaries and malignant actors that create an increasingly complex strategic environment challenging our deterrence framework," Brown continued. "[That] means our strategies need to be networked, dynamic, adaptable and integrated."

Brown labeled integrated deterrence as a cornerstone of the National Defense Strategy.

"Integrated deterrence means leveraging all powers of our nation; aligning our policies, investments and activities; and adapting our efforts to specific competitors as a holistic deterrence strategy," Brown said.

"We need to act with urgency now before we find ourselves needing to innovate in the midst of a major conflict," he continued.

"We need to act like we're in a crisis, before the crisis."

To achieve such deterrence, Brown said DOD needs to focus on three key areas: our adversaries' cognition and culture; the ever-evolving information environment; and the impacts of advancing technology.

On the topic of cognition and culture, Brown said that deterrence is based on the perceptions of our adversaries and how such perceptions can influence risk and reward-based decisions to create conflict in the pursuit of their national interests.

"But in determining these perceptions lies the challenge," Brown said. "To accomplish this, we must understand the culture of our adversaries - their view of history, their collective values and the semantics of their language."

Stating that cognition and culture determine how our adversaries perceive information, Brown then discussed how the recent revolution in communication technology has significantly changed the information environment.

"We live in an era where the U.S. deterrence messaging can potentially be undermined through cyberoperations and information warfare, complicating the task of maintaining credible deterrence - and the global information ecosystem's fragmentation has made it increasingly more difficult to project a unified stance," Brown cautioned.

"These dynamics require an unprecedented level of coordination to ensure that United States' messages - in coordination with our allies and partners - are not only heard but are also accurately interpreted to achieve the desired deterrent effect," he said.

On the third topic of advancing technology, Brown pointed out how the character of war has been changed by the proliferation of new capabilities among state and non-state actors.

"New technologies have the potential to shorten viable response times in the event of an attack, changing the calculus and challenging the equilibrium on which global security relies," Brown said.

"We need to collectively deepen our understanding of the emerging technologies - both the opportunities and the vulnerabilities - so we can shape the international norms of behavior," he added.

Brown's speech culminated in a call for integrated deterrence to be achieved through a joint, seamless alignment of all elements of national strength - what he said has been called a "symphony of power" by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

"Integrated deterrence is not just about possessing advanced technology and superior firepower - that is just one part of the orchestra," Brown said, adding that truly integrated deterrence requires harnessing the full power of government by drawing on all interagency capabilities and aligning all our national strengths.

"And by taking these steps along with our allies and partners, we forge an integrated deterrence," Brown said, closing out his remarks.

"And through that symphony of power, we ensure a future where deterrence prevails - safeguarding peace and security for all."

Now in its 15th year, the Aug. 13-14 Stratcom Deterrence Symposium sought to draw from "academic, government, military and international experts, to explore a broad range of deterrence issues and thinking," according to the command's webpage.