Case Studies in Policy Making. 11th Edition
Abstract
Few decisions can be more difficult for a U.S. president than to commit military forces to potential combat situations. The stakes in such decisions are always high. Loss of U.S. and other lives, the expenditure of vast amounts of resources, and damage to national prestige are among the possible negative outcomes of such decisions. Other decisions made at this level, such as the selection of a particular policy, commitment to procurement of certain military capabilities and weapons systems, and the signing of treaties, involve stakes that are almost as great as those involving the use of force. There is a widespread tendency to believe that decisions of this nature are derived from a coolly analytical process, in which the costs of particular courses of actions are weighed against anticipated gains to national security. Indeed, many of the formal decision-making mechanisms in the federal government were designed to facilitate and support this sort of cost-benefits driven decision making.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA519451
Entities
People
- Brent L. Boston
- Daniel R. Miller
- David T. Buckwalter
- Donald K. Hansen
- Douglas E. Mason
- Kevin L. Little
- Laurence L. Mccabe
- Richard J. Norton
- Robert L. Carney
- Shawn W. Burns
Organizations
- Naval War College