Strengthening the Interagency Process: The Case for Enhancing the Role of the National Security Advisor

摘要

Prior to the US invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003, several State Department and Department of Defense (DOD) agencies were frantically piecing together a detailed Phase IV (post-war) plan for Iraq. Unclear and ambiguous guidance from the National Security Council (NSC) forced State and DOD entities to conduct planning largely in isolation from one another, ultimately leading to a disjointed and stove-piped approach to reconstruction planning. The lack of a coordinated Phase IV planning approach during the execution of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) highlights the need to expand the powers of the National Security Advisor. New congressional legislation should mandate the coordination of the security roles of all federal agencies in the U.S. Government under a Director for National Security to provide clear direction and focus for all pre- and post-war planning.