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CRS Report: National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress
Date: December 2008
Author: Catherine Dale
Institution: Congressional Research Service
Bibliographic Entry: Dale, Catherine. “CRS Report: National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress.” Congressional Research Service. (December 2008).
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34505_20081215.pdf
Electronic Link:
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34505_20081215.pdf
Key Words: government reform, national security strategy, national security system, congressional oversight, budgeting, planning
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
“There is growing debate among practitioners and scholars, including participants from across the political spectrum, concerning the need to reform the U.S. government’s national security system. Reform proponents argue that the current architecture was designed to meet the global security challenges of the post-World War II context, and may not be appropriate for addressing the 21st century challenges. That architecture includes the organizations, structures, and processes that govern decision-making, budgeting, planning and execution, and congressional oversight of national security activities. This report reviews current legislative mandates for security strategic documents, assesses the recent history of execution, describes strategic documents in related fields for comparison, presents considerations that may be useful in assessing current requirements and execution, and notes several current proposals for changes to legislative requirements.”
Observers have suggested that current legislative requirements be updated or amended to address concerns described in this report. Among the more specific suggestions to date:
• A Congressionally mandated “quadrennial national security review” (QNSR) at the interagency level
• Legislation requiring the President to issue classified “national security planning guidance” to set priorities; state national security objectives and the approaches and capabilities required to achieve them; assign responsibility for specific tasks to specific agencies; and potentially provide fiscal guidance
• Expanding the NSC staff, or re-designating the portfolios of some of its personnel, if additional strategic guidance requirements were adopted
Name of Researcher: Natalie Prendergast
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: February 9, 2009