The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters - Winter 2023-24 | Competing for Global Influence: How Best to Assess Potential Strategic Partners | by Brian G. Forester To compete effectively for global influence, US Army and defense planners should focus on economic globalization in addition to security interests when assessing potential foreign military partners. The results of a quantitative analysis of US-led exercise participants between 1990 and 2016 demonstrate the variety of interests, including economic, that underly a partner’s decision to train or not with US forces. Since the US Army bills itself as the “partner of choice,” this piece will interest military and policy practitioners involved in strategically assessing potential international military partners. Keywords: economic interests, globalization, strategic competition, multinational exercises, bilateral exercises