Although no Administration has found a viable alternative to the two-major-conflict metric, this does not mean that any of their proposed force postures were adequate to the task, particularly after factoring in the time dimension.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | The Measure of a Superpower: A Two Major Regional Contingency Military for the 21st Century | Page: 2

Although agreement "does not seem any nearer, there is no alternative to a negotiated peace", he said.

BBC: Middle East debate

So far, however, they have made no convincing alternative proposal to Mr Trimble's, although one of them, Jeffrey Donaldson, has promised that an alternative will be presented to the council.

ECONOMIST: Ulster waits