The Transformation Of The United States' Concept Of Full Spectrum Domination According To Changing Threats

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 44 - 54, 24.06.2023

Mehmet Alkanalka

Abstract

This article aims to question the concept of full spectrum dominance concept brought to the agenda of the US Department of Defense after the Cold War, according to changing threat perceptions. In this context, in the light of neo-realism theory, defined threats and the concept of full spectrum dominance in the national security and military strategy documents of the USA after the Cold War was analyzed through the qualitative content analysis method. In the unipolar international structure carried out within the scope of the fight against terrorism, which is the number one security threat on the world agenda after the 9/11 terrorist attack against the USA, the global security climate and structure led by the USA has evolved into a completely different structure owing to China's growing economic power and increasing defense expenditures, Russia’s harsh military and hybrid response in Georgia and Ukraine to the NATO's eastward expansion process. Despite the conventional and nuclear superiority of the US Armed Forces, it is among the conclusions that the full spectrum concept was developed to be effective in the fight against non-state terrorist organizations after the Cold War. But the concept fell off the agenda during and after Obama's presidency. At the beginning of the 21st century, it has been understood from the documents examined that the increasing terrorism threat perception in the USA caused conventional and nuclear capabilities to remain in the background, but Russia’s tactical nuclear weapon threat rhetoric in the Ukraine War and challenging power China pushed the threat of terrorism to the third place.

Keywords

Full Spectrum Dominance, Terrorism, Nuclear threat, USA, Neo-Realism, China

Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nin Tam Spektrum Hâkimiyeti Konseptinin Değişen Tehditlere Göre Dönüşümü

Abstract

Bu makalenin amacı Soğuk Savaş sonrası ABD Savunma Bakanlığı tarafından gündeme getirilen tam spektrum hâkimiyeti konseptini neo-realizm teorisi ışığı altında nitel içerik analizi yöntemiyle değişen tehdit algılarına göre araştırmaktır. Bu kapsamda Soğuk Savaş sonrası ABD’nin milli güvenlik ve askeri strateji belgelerindeki tehditler ve tam spektrum hâkimiyeti kavramı analiz edilmiştir. ABD’nin 2001’de maruz kaldığı terör saldırısı sonrası dünya gündeminde bir numaralı güvenlik tehdidi olan terörizmle mücadele kapsamında yürütülen tek kutuplu uluslararası yapıda ABD’nin liderliğindeki küresel güvenlik iklimi ve yapısı, Çin’in büyüyen ekonomik gücü ve artan savunma harcamaları ile NATO’nun doğuya doğru genişlemesi sürecine Rusya tarafından Gürcistan ve Ukrayna’da verilen sert askeri ve hibrit karşılık sonrası bambaşka bir yapıya evrilmiştir. ABD Silahlı Kuvvetlerinin konvansiyonel ve nükleer üstünlüğüne karşın, Soğuk Savaş sonrası devlet dışı terörist organizasyonlar ile mücadelede etkin olmak maksadıyla tam spektrum konseptini geliştirdiği, ancak Obama’nın başkanlığı döneminde ve sonrasında kavramın gündemden düştüğü varılan sonuçlar arasındadır. 21. Yüzyılın başında ABD’nin tehdit tanımlamasında terörizmin öne çıkması konvansiyonel ve nükleer yeteneklerin ikinci planda kalmasına neden olduğu, ancak meydan okuyan güç Çin ile Rusya’nın Ukrayna Savaşı’nda taktik nükleer silah kullanma retoriğinin terörizm tehdidini üçüncü plana ittiği incelenen belgelerden tespit edilmiştir.

Keywords

Tam spektrum hakimiyeti, Terörizm, Nükleer Tehdit, ABD, Neo-Realizm, Çin

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