The world has entered a new era of “gray zone” conflicts, ongoing shadow wars that present great strategic risk to the United States and the international community. In the midst of this new strategic reality, the role the United States will take in shaping international security over the next four to eight years is uncertain. To better understand the new budgetary environment in the United States and what it may mean for close allies and partners, Stimson held three high-level roundtable discussions in 2016. The roundtable series sought to examine how the international community can better prepare to fight effective and efficient wars in a resource-limited environment.