In comparison with previous reports and last September's Quadrennial Defence Review, the August 16 Defence Report has some prominent new features.

A pre-emptive strike military strategy, which US President George W. Bush elaborated on at the West Point Military Academy in June, punctuates the report.

The United States has adopted the strategy as a guideline for a transition of its military, forward deployment and arms research and development.

In doing so, the United States attempts to launch first military attacks against potential rivals to gain a strategic advantage.

While giving anti-terrorism top priority, the report also emphasizes the need to prevent biological weapon stockpiling.

According to the report, the proliferation was beyond previous estimations and increased threats against the United States.

The British weekly magazine the Economist said the United States' top foreign policy priority is to prevent the spread of biological weapons and missile technology.

One of the motives behind its swift move to improve ties with China and Russia was to deter proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear materials.

The report says the United States is now more concerned about Asia than Europe.

The report believes keeping stability in Asia is "a complicated mission" as many countries with politically fragile governments, due to domestic instability in the region, have a large military and the potential to develop or acquire biological weapons.

However, the United States does not have sufficient military bases and supply facilities in Asia.

Under these circumstances the United States recently decided to dispatch another two aircraft-carrier battle groups to the Western Pacific region, three to five Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines and B-2 bombers to Guam and construct harbors for cruise missile submarines.

The report says the European continent is basically peaceful except in the Balkans.

The United States' accelerated shift in its global military strategic focus from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region is obvious.

The report said the United States has paid high attention to developing space-controlling capabilities.

Given it is now much easier to access space surveillance, land-based laser weapons and scramble communication networks, one of the US Defence Department's prime tasks is to ensure US freedom for entry into space and its national security interests in space.

To this end, in the 2003 budget for national defense, US$200 million will be spent on space research projects and US$2.3 billion is expected to go into the research and development of space projects.

By injecting sufficient funds into the field, the United States attempts to gain a monopolistic position in space, giving an eternal solution to the issue of nuclear proliferation.

The report is obviously aimed at gaining absolute military superiority and security for the United States.

In 2003, the US defence budget will be as high as US$393 billion, more than 36 per cent of the world's total military expenditure.

The figure will also be more than the total military spending of as many as 15-20 nations behind the United States.

The money the United States has spent on military research and development is more than three times that of the six next highest military-spending nations.

Some analysts say the September 11 terrorist attacks, which took place after the United States had shown contempt for other groups in the world, illustrated in an effective way its vulnerability.

The United States can realize its national security by only abandoning its unilateralist and hegemonic practices in international affairs.

Facts prove that absolute security based on absolute military predominance is by no means reliable.

(The author is a professor with the National Defence University. The article was originally published by the Guangming Daily.)

(China Daily September 6, 2002)