On March 3, 2021, the Biden Administration released its Interim National Security Strategic Guidance. This interim guidance has been issued to convey President Biden’s vision for how America will engage with the world, and to provide guidance for departments and agencies to align their actions as the Administration begins work on a National Security Strategy.
According to Defense News, Department of Defense will unveil its National Defense Strategy on Jan. 19. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said a significant part of the strategy will remain classified, but promised to make at least part of the document open to the public. “There will be a classified one that is relatively thick; there will be a shorter one that will basically lay it out unclassified, and… Read More »Department of Defense to Unveil its National Defense Strategy Next Week
According to reporting from Just Security and The Atlantic, the Trump administration is preparing to roll out its new National Security Strategy on 18 December. While the document is meant to guide the government’s national security policies, it is already the subject of some controversy. A Trump administration staffer who reviewed a draft of the document describes it as “divorced from the reality” of Trump’s presidency. The draft reportedly includes a few “classically Trumpian” themes,… Read More »National Security Strategy set for 18 December release amid controversy
The Trump administration will release its initial national security strategy in the coming weeks, pending final polish edits. The release marks the beginning of what the administration calls “a tough new approach to confront a raft of global security challenges.” Trump has reportedly signed off on the core elements of the draft, which is almost completed, and all the principals, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Secretary of the Treasury… Read More »Trump Approves National Security Strategy
Statement Before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Recommendations for a Future National Defense Strategy Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain and Ranking Member, Senator Jack Reed hosted a hearing for outside experts to explore recommendations for a future national defense strategy. CSBA President and CEO Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken was invited to give testimony. Among his recommendations: First, the National Defense Strategy should address the threats and challenges that the United… Read More »SASC Testimony: Recommendations for a Future National Defense Strategy
During his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly on 19 September, President Trump embraced a higher level of defense spending than his budget originally proposed. The President said, “And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been”. That funding level is in line with the work done by the House and Senate… Read More »HASC Chairman Reacts to President Trump’s Defense Budget Comments
Peter Feaver recently published an interesting article on the Trump administration’s forthcoming National Security Strategy. As the principal author of the Bush administration’s National Security Strategy, his insights are not to be missed. In the article, he outlines the challenges that are faced by the Trump administration in writing the strategy. But the team does have some advantages: A capable national security advisor who knows a thing or two about writing strategy; A capable NSC staff… Read More »Peter Feaver on Trump’s National Security Strategy
On August 7, War on the Rocks released a podcast where several national security experts discussed the importance of the National Security Strategy (NSS), a document required by Congress for each new administration to outline its objectives. While the overall consensus is that, yes, the NSS matters, the podcast participants have varying opinions towards the extent of the document’s importance. The discussion includes commentary from several individuals who have been involved in the creation of… Read More »Does the National Security Strategy Matter?
By Marissa Soltoff War on the Rocks recently released a podcast discussing the importance of the National Security Strategy (NSS), a report that outlines what the current administration deems important and how it will address various national security issues. This report is significant since it forces the United States to address the entire world, outlines specific issues that would otherwise be unclear, and provides a framework for foreign governments, journalists, and the American public to… Read More »NOTE: “So, Does the National Security Strategy Matter?”
From War on the Rocks, an insightful look at an important critique of military leadership: H.R. McMaster, Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam (Harper Perennial, 1998). Dereliction of Duty is a serious book. Thoroughly researched, carefully argued, it tackles a big subject: Who is responsible for the debacle that is the Vietnam War? McMaster concludes that everyone in political and military leadership was: Presidents John F.… Read More »Review: Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster