By 1981, détente was dead, the victim of overoptimism by its proponents in Washington and presumptive behavior by Moscow. That it waxed and waned came as no surprise to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were skeptical all along of whether détente would last, let alone fundamentally alter East-West relations. Toward the end of his Presidency, Jimmy Carter reluctantly agreed and initiated upward adjustments in the military budget. The "Carter buildup” was a limited affair, however, and did not go much beyond bolstering capabilities for the Rapid Deployment Force. As useful as these increases may have been, they were not enough, in the opinion of the Chairman, General David C. Jones, USAF, to offset the gains made by the Soviets in nuclear and conventional arms over the past decade or to reverse the "long term decline in our defense spending.”