ABSTRACT
Changes in the geopolitical environment impinge upon and may adversely influence United States national security, the safeguarding of which is probably the key role of government. To fulfil this role, an adequate defence system is a fundamental requirement. Such a system depends not only upon military might, but also upon the strength of the supporting economy. In the event of hostilities the nation with a well developed industrial defence base and the ability to mobilize its full economic potential is likely to prevail (Merritt and Carter 1985). Indeed, a symbiotic relationship can be seen to exist between economic prosperity and national security (Anderson 1988). A thriving economy can underwrite the research and development necessary to produce increasingly sophisticated military equipment. The combat quality, but more significantly at the present time the deterrent value, of well equipped armed services can provide protection vital for the global infrastructure necessary to a modern economy. It is through worldwide trade routes that the United States obtains many of the minerals on which is founded its defence industrial base.
