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The Next President
By Townie 76
When we think of developing a National Security Strategy we normally think of a document that outlines the Strategic Objectives of the United States in terms of the military. I would submit, that regardless of who is elected, the next President must take a more holistic approach to defining the National Strategic Objectives of the United States.
As I look back over the last twenty or so years, and in particular the most recent iteration The National Security Strategy of the United States of America http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.html I was struck how it is dominated by the military component of the elements of national power. Here is an outline of the National Security Strategy of the United States:
Introduction
Overview of America's International Strategy
Champion Aspirations for Human Dignity
Strengthen Alliances to Defeat Global Terrorism and Work to Prevent Attacks Against Us and Our Friends
Work with others to Defuse Regional Conflicts
Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction
Ignite a New Era of Global Economic Growth through Free Markets and Free Trade
Expand the Circle of Development by Opening Societies and Building the Infrastructure of Democracy
Develop Agendas for Cooperative Action with the Other Main Centers of Global Power
Transform America's National Security Institutions to Meet the Challenges and Opportunities of the Twenty-First Century
It seems to me, that the next President must integrate all elements of National Power into shaping our National Strategy. Most importantly, in order to provide true National Security, the next President must address the following issues in cogent manner and his national strategy should include some of the points addressed:
Diplomatic/Political: The next President must reenergize the Department of State. As part of the National Security Strategy the United States needs to state that it will deal with all nations as if they are rational actors in the international family of nations. The President should stress that the United States will seek Diplomatic and not military solution as our first choice but that the use of military force is always an option. As part of this approach the United States should avoid unilateral actions and seeks to develop international (multi-lateral consensus) to Foreign Affairs problems. The National Security Strategy should stress that working through the Diplomatic process is our preferred method. The President should also with the leadership of Congress and in particular the Chairmen of the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committee to develop a truly bipartisan foreign policy.
Information: Close GITMO and end the charade of enemy combatants. Treat those captured as prisoners of war. Truly stand for the rule of law by punishing those who were responsible for the abuses of prisoners in Iraq and at GITMO. If this requires the indictment of General Officers and Senior Political Appointees so be it. Ensure they are given all the due process they are entitled to under the United States Constitution, try them and allow to choose whether a judge or a jury of their peers will determine their innocence’s or guilt. If there are trials they must be open to the public and their should be no hiding behind a smoke screen of secrecy.
Military: The next President must take steps to repair the United States military in particular the United States Army and United States Marine Corps. This may require and overall increase in the end strength of the Army and the USMC. (see comments below.)
Economic: This is the area, which the President must take immediate action in order to enhance our Economic National Security. As a minimum the following steps must be taken within the first 180 days of taking office:
• Take immediate steps to reduce the budget deficit. This may mean either raising taxes or imposing an income tax surcharge to reduce the deficit and to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The goal should be achieving a balanced budget within four years.
• Take immediate steps to end United States dependences on foreign oil. This will mean allowing oil and natural gas exploration and drilling off the East and West Coast of the United States as well as opening ANWAR to oil and gas drilling. Reasonable environmental protection should be in placed to protect the fragile ecosystems. The President must also encourage the conversion of our electrical grid from predominately gas and oil generated electricity to Nuclear Power. As a model of achieving this goal the United States may want to examine the centralized system, which France has in place for the approval, design, and construction of nuclear power plants. Today 75% of France electricity comes from nuclear power.
• Take immediate steps to strengthen the dollar. Currently one dollar is worth .64 Euro’s. The weak dollar causes the price of a barrel of oil to cost approximately 20% more than it should. At 145 dollars a barrel that is twenty-nine dollars. A strong dollar would bring some relief in the cost of gas and oil.
• Working with Congress, develop a comprehensive National Energy Plan that neither hinders and punishes business, unnecessarily burdens the taxpayer, and leads to real progress on alternative energy and reducing greenhouse gases. The United States should become the leader in this area.
As part of his overall National Security Strategy the President must get behind the drafting and passing of a National Security Act for the 21st Century. Among the critical steps that must be taken in formulation of a new National Security Act are: (Note a new National Security Act would rewrite Title 10 Armed Forces, Title 32 National Guard, and Title 50 War and National Defense of the United States Code and would impact each of the Executive Departments of the United States Government.)
• Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces to include spelling out specifically what the roles of the services are see 10 USC §§ 3013 (b), 5013 )b), 8013 (b) for the general description of their responsibilities contained in the current Title 10. Clearly spell out that the services are not in the operational chain of command and have no say in operational matters.
• Recast the role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from first among equals by creating the rank General or Admiral of the Armed Forces and defining his role as the Senior Military Officer of the Armed Forces and principal military adviser to the President of the United States.
• Develop effective statutory provisions for the integration of other executive departments and agencies into military operations. (Inter-agency process.)
• Fixing the reserve mobilization process to make it more responsive to the needs of the Armed Forces.
• Recast the Department of Defense for the 21st Century and away from the Cold War paradigms found in Title 10, 32, and 50.
These are just some thoughts and musings from someone who has been around the block for a while.
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Comments
To continue to look at your views, we must also challenge some of your primary assumptions. Focus will be our dependence on foreign oil. Maybe the real issue is our dependence on oil, period. Now you suggest we con drill our way of this situation. Is this really possible? You suggest drilling in the Alaskan wilderness. Well, we already are drilling in Alaska and comes through the pipeline to Valdez. Out of the total production, what percentage is actually used in the United States? Let's try 0%, it all goes to Japan. What about the Texas Sweet Crude from our own Country? It is put on the World market. It sounds great, but is less than honest. Over a cup of coffee this morning, I heard an interesting concept on this issue. The idea was this, we should follow the example of our good friends in the Middle East, The Saudi Royal Family. Their idea was simple, The U.S. Government should nationalize the oil companies and all related oil technologies, Worldwide. This would include absolutely all assets on every level. Just a thought. But please remember ARAMCO. -Grumpy
Close GTMO? Give Enemy combatants POW status?
You might want to rethink this. What kind of combat experience do you have?
I meant to say HUMINT/Detainee ops experience. Oops.
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Your post is a good start point for all of us to start a re-examination of our policies as we move forward into the 21st Century. As I write this, I respect your views, but we can share a broader view. Let's begin. There is a word, common to the Military and Veterans' World and their families. This would include also people in the first responders' and law enforcement's world. It would include an untold number of civilians, who in their untold ways strive to meet the same objectives. What is the word? It is more than a word, it is an attitude and a strategy of life, the word is SACRIFICE. I knew a disabled old man, living on a pension. He took it upon himself to start sending packages to the troops in Viet Nam. The story of this old man got to LBJ, he diverted Air Force 1 to the nearest military base. A retired SF, who was now a local police officer, on his day off, went to the chief and asked permission to use his police car to take this old man to see LBJ. It was granted. The old man was not permitted to drive by state law. The cop came in his uniform and picked up this old man and took him to go see LBJ. They both went on Air Force 1. If This old man could sacrifice, so can we.