Meeting Complex Challenges Through National Security Reform

摘要

Each major reform to U.S. national security structure has followed a historic event: the National Security Act of 1947 after World War II; the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 in the wake of Vietnam and post-Vietnam uses of force; and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and reorganization of the Intelligence Community after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Obama administration will have no shortage of advice pouring in from myriad sources on how to address the dynamic nature of security given the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global financial turmoil. Indeed, the Obama administration may be wise to avoid getting unnecessarily immersed in process and reorganization. But the question is whether major reform in adapting government to 21st-century requirements can be further delayed without significant consequences. Fortunately, a variety of efforts have already been made by leading think tanks and commissions to analyze the current structure and operations of the national security system to offer options for decisionmakers. The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at National Defense University convened 'Meeting Complex Challenges Through National Security Reform' to preview some of those efforts. To understand whether (and how) reform is possible, INSS assembled key U.S. and international scholars, officials, and practitioners to offer and discuss ideas. This report synthesizes some of the main findings emerging from the 2-day conference.