Balancing the Instruments of National Power at the Operational Level in the GWOT

Abstract

There is a gap between the strategy and tactics of the United States in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT): a lack of operational leadership with tasking authority and an imbalanced application of the instruments of national power. This balance is critical to the success of the United States in the GWOT. An early indicator of potential failure in the GWOT is the deteriorating situation in Iraq. A historical basis for reform is the creation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and more recently the United States Special Operations Command's (USSOCOM) effort to synchronize the GWOT for the Department of Defense (DoD). Balance is best accomplished in an interagency organization representing all instruments of national power, with tasking authority over all agencies of the United States Government, a focused mission of the GWOT, and superb leadership. It must demonstrate the same attributes so successfully employed by USSOCOM within the DoD: collaboration, flexibility, and innovation. With significant reorganization, the National Counterterrorism Center can become this organization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 10, 2007
Accession Number
ADA470831

Entities

People

  • Arie C. Richards

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Counterterrorism
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control