A National Security Strategy Primer by National War College

Purpose A National Security Strategy Primer provides National War College (NWC) students with a common point of departure for consideration of national security strategy and is designed as a principal tool for understanding and achieving core course learning objectives. The primer specifically addresses key concepts of national security strategy and outlines a broad approach for strategy development. Additionally, the primer serves to set a common national strategy language for use within the college. To accomplish this task, the primer draws substantially from current joint and Service-specific doctrine as well as extant Department of Defense procedures and policy guidance. However, as national strategy is an inherently multi-instrument, multi-institution endeavor, the primer draws from interagency language and policy as well as significant literature on national security strategy found in the doctrine of partner/allied states, academia, the business sector, and elsewhere. While the primer is geared toward the NWC core curriculum, it may also serve as a useful tool for interagency practitioners charged with discussing, designing, or assessing national security strategies. Read more