US Strategic Objectives

US national strategy is myopic - short sighted and fragmented. It rests on overall US strategic objectives that are broad and dated. The most authoritative statement is in President George W. Bush's introductory letter to the last National Security Strategy, published in March 2006. He gives two pillars of national strategy: to promote effective democracies while expanding global prosperity and to lead a growing community of democracies. Promoting freedom is the core of this strategy which recognizes that it cannot be imposed but must be chosen; the struggle with terrorism is a battle of ideas. The nation's ultimate security depends on creating a world of democratic, well-governed states that can meet the needs of their citizens. This National Security Strategy is based on the Department of Defense's Quadrennial Defense Review (the latest version is now in progress); the Department of State has recently begun a parallel Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. But both of these reviews are departmental efforts. There is no government element responsible for developing an overall national strategy, and so no authoritative overall statement of national strategic objectives. The National Security Strategy with the subordinate National Defense Strategy naturally focuses on the government's Constitutional responsibility to "provide for the common defense."