In "About this Blog" I had stated that I intend to explore the content and issues related to formulating a national security strategy and thereafter explore the linkages down through military strategy to domains like threat perceptions, force levels, manpower planning, capital budgeting and higher defence organization, drawing mainly from a wealth of information from older western democracies where (at least in a relative way) such evolved thinking permeates the government and having matured over the years has now been substantially articulated in documentation available in the public domain.
After a preliminary analysis of the documented national security strategy of the US and the UK, I have to admit that the strategic thought and the institutions tasked to formulate strategy have a long way to go in terms of learning. One can easily understand that as a country that believes in the old Soviet style centralized planning architecture of government (not withstanding the current centre-state ruckus on the federal structure of the constitution), it involves a steep learning curve.
Besides, think-tanks and advocacy groups established by former bureaucrats and retired veterans are part of the system and it will be a long call to expect any of them to display the kind of evolved thinking that is required to make the articulation of national security strategy a reality. Some of these think-tanks have realized this fact and have also realized that strategy research is more intensive and a longer term initiative than their flagging energies permit and have now begun to hire research assistants and full-time researchers as staff to do the preliminary legwork (or mousework, considering that most researchers are internet warriors today).
But what is stopping the government from hiring consultants from the industry as is the practice in many western democracies including the US and the UK. In fact, both have articulated the need for closer interaction with the private sector talent in developing such capabilities.
Moving ahead, I intend to explore ways and means of categorising and linking elements of national security strategy to its desired outcomes and from there, to derive an integrated framework for formulating policy and in identifying initiatives. Of course, based on my own research, I intend to develop the discussion as planned or shift course, depending which alternative paths seem most promising.
After a preliminary analysis of the documented national security strategy of the US and the UK, I have to admit that the strategic thought and the institutions tasked to formulate strategy have a long way to go in terms of learning. One can easily understand that as a country that believes in the old Soviet style centralized planning architecture of government (not withstanding the current centre-state ruckus on the federal structure of the constitution), it involves a steep learning curve.
Besides, think-tanks and advocacy groups established by former bureaucrats and retired veterans are part of the system and it will be a long call to expect any of them to display the kind of evolved thinking that is required to make the articulation of national security strategy a reality. Some of these think-tanks have realized this fact and have also realized that strategy research is more intensive and a longer term initiative than their flagging energies permit and have now begun to hire research assistants and full-time researchers as staff to do the preliminary legwork (or mousework, considering that most researchers are internet warriors today).
But what is stopping the government from hiring consultants from the industry as is the practice in many western democracies including the US and the UK. In fact, both have articulated the need for closer interaction with the private sector talent in developing such capabilities.
Moving ahead, I intend to explore ways and means of categorising and linking elements of national security strategy to its desired outcomes and from there, to derive an integrated framework for formulating policy and in identifying initiatives. Of course, based on my own research, I intend to develop the discussion as planned or shift course, depending which alternative paths seem most promising.
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