Changing the US National and Defense Strategies and Other Initiatives to Combat Competitive Intelligence Operations Against the US
Abstract
Changes in the world situation since the end of the cold war has resulted in national interest worldwide no longer concentrating on military might and competition. The focus has turned to economic prosperity, competitiveness and its resulting security. To compete in this new era, nation states are resorting to the use of their nation's intelligence organizations through competitive intelligence operations to improve their economic position. The loss to America's economic development and security is resulting in the erosion of not only our industrial base, but more importantly, our relative military superiority. Since all DOD activities are a result of the US National and Defense Strategies, this monograph first examines these. It finds that they are focused on deterring and defeating threats based on military power equating to the ability of a nation state to influence by force the outcome of political choices. They fail to recognize the importance of economic power, the evolution to a global economy, and their resulting threats. The reasons why these changes have not been recognized is then discussed. The reasons included are the inability to think outside the normal military comfort zone; an inability to model and analysis the complex effects of economic power; focusing on partial or interim goals; and the inability to absorb and understand the far greater interdependency of accelerated change. Economic power and its relationship to political power continues to be a basic reason for world wide conflict. To help understand this, the importance of economic power, and how it determines a nation state's military power first economic power is defined. Economic power is then evaluated from a theoretical and historical perspective. Considering today's environment of dynamic complexity controlled by a nations economy it is determined that economic power should be added to Clausewitz's trinity of Army, People and Government.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA356939
Entities
People
- Joseph A. Bolick
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College