On May 19, 1997, as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996, US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen presented the Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress. This site contains the May 19 Defense Department news release and briefing (along with slides), the text of the report, and the legislation mandating it. The report is composed of ten sections ranging from "The Global Security Environment" to "Force Readiness" to "Achieving a 21st Century Defense Infrastructure." However, its thrust can be ascertained from a single statement by the Secretary: "The strategy devised through the QDR can be summed up in three words: shape, respond, and prepare."