Charting the Nation's Course

<p>This study analyzes how the processes used in the national security planning influence the results. It begins by discussing the nature of strategic planning for national security eventually defining it as a disciplined effort involving the allocation of resources to programmed activities aimed at achieving a set of objectives by integrating major goals policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole. Two examples (the New Look of 1953 and the Quadrennial Defense Review of 1997) are selected for comparison due to the many parallels of their respective historical situations. The next step in the study defines several alternative methods for conducting strategic planning including how using those methods could influence the outcome. These differences are used to analyze both the New Look and the Quadrennial Defense Review. The New Look provides an example of a primarily sequential top-down process while the Quadrennial Defense Review demonstrated the advantages and drawbacks of a primarily parallel process which had both top-down and bottom-up aspects. The final section discusses the implications of the different approaches including the recommendation that any review contemplating major changes in national security policy follow a more sequential and top-down process with clear guidance given to participants.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>