National Security Strategy (United States)

National Security Strategy (United States)
Name	National Security Strategy
Country	United States
Issued by	President of the United States
First pub	1987
Latest pub	2022
Related	National Defense Strategy; National Military Strategy; Quadrennial Defense Review

National Security Strategy (United States) The National Security Strategy (NSS) is a presidential document articulating priorities for the President of the United States, aligning strategic direction across the Department of Defense, Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. It situates United States interests relative to competitors such as the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and addresses transnational challenges including terrorism, cyber threats, and climate change. The NSS draws on doctrines and precedents from documents and events like the Truman Doctrine, the Nixon Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the Cold War.

Overview and Purpose

The NSS expresses presidential objectives for relations with actors including the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Korea, and the State of Israel while framing responses to actors such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Taliban. It provides guidance to institutions like the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and the Department of Homeland Security, and it informs strategic documents such as the National Defense Strategy, the National Intelligence Strategy, and the Quadrennial Defense Review. The NSS references historical events and treaties like the North Atlantic Treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, the Yalta Conference, the Helsinki Accords, and the Camp David Accords to justify policy. It addresses cross-cutting issues involving the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the G7.

Historical Development

Origins trace to presidential guidance and Cold War strategy influenced by figures and events including Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Later NSS editions responded to crises and doctrines associated with Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, the Gulf War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the 9/11 attacks involving al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden produced NSS documents reflecting shifts after the Kosovo War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Arab Spring, the Paris Agreement, and the Minsk Agreements. The evolution incorporated lessons from institutions such as NATO, the Northrop Grumman analyses, RAND Corporation studies, and Harvard Kennedy School research.

Legal and Institutional Framework

The NSS sits alongside statutes and instruments like the National Security Act of 1947, the War Powers Resolution, the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Foreign Assistance Act, the Arms Export Control Act, and the Patriot Act. Implementation engages executive branch bodies including the National Security Council, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and agencies such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Treasury. Congressional oversight arises from committees in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, such as the Senate Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and through laws like the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act. The NSS relates to international law instruments including the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Key Components and Priorities

Common NSS themes reference great power competition with the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, deterrence strategies informed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, force posture aligned with the United States Pacific Command and United States European Command, and nuclear policy shaped by institutions like the Nuclear Posture Review and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty negotiations. Economic statecraft elements involve engagement with the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Monetary Fund, and trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Security priorities include counterterrorism against groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, cyber defense against actors linked to the SolarWinds incident and GRU operations, pandemic preparedness in coordination with the World Health Organization, and climate resilience following analysis from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Human rights, democracy promotion, and sanctions policy cite the Magnitsky Act, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the International Criminal Court.

Formulation Process

NSS drafting typically coordinates input from agencies including the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, often leveraging think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The process engages senior officials—Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence, National Security Advisor—and draws on academic work from institutions like Stanford University, Yale University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Georgetown University. It considers allied deliberations with partners in NATO, the G7, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and bilateral consultations with Japan, Australia, India, Canada, and Mexico.

Implementation and Interagency Roles

Implementation requires coordination among the Department of Defense, Combatant Commands including United States Central Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command, the Department of State, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and intelligence community entities like the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office. Interagency mechanisms include the National Security Council principals committee, policy coordinating committees, and congressional engagement through hearings before bodies like the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Partnerships with international organizations—the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the African Union, the Organization of American States—and alliances with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea are central to operationalizing NSS objectives.

Criticisms and Debates

Critiques of NSS documents center on perceived gaps between rhetoric and resources, debates over prioritization among the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, counterterrorism, and climate policy, and concerns raised by scholars at institutions such as the London School of Economics, the International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. Policy debates involve the balance between deterrence and engagement, the role of sanctions versus diplomacy, civil liberties implications under laws like the Patriot Act, and the transparency of secret programs overseen by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. Congressional critiques have emerged from figures associated with the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, while legal challenges have invoked courts such as the Supreme Court of the United States and appellate panels. Discussions continue among policymakers, academics, and allied governments about the NSS’s adaptability to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, space security involving NASA and Space Force, and transnational networks affecting global supply chains tied to corporations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.

Category:United States national security