''A National Strategic Narrative'' is a United States strategy document.
Background
In 2009, during a strategy brief to
Secretary of Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
Robert Gates
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush an ...
, Captain Wayne Porter (
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
) noted the lack of a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
grand strategy
Grand strategy or high strategy is a state's strategy of how means can be used to advance and achieve national interests. Issues of grand strategy typically include the choice of primary versus secondary theaters in war, distribution of resource ...
, which could act as a guide or inspiration for all strategies of the US government. Admiral
Michael Mullen
Michael Glenn Mullen (born October 4, 1946) is a retired United States Navy Admiral (United States), admiral, who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2011.
Mullen previously served as ...
, then
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
, charged Captain Porter with writing such a grand strategy. Concurrently, Colonel Mark "Puck" Mykleby (
US Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
) and the strategy team at
USSOCOM
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...
were developing some of the baseline concepts that are reflected in the Narrative. The two strategists, Porter and Mykleby, teamed up and worked for years towards developing such a grand strategy. The product was published on April 8, 2011, by the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...
. The 15 page article was titled ''A National Strategic Narrative'' by Mr. Y (a pseudonym for Captain Porter and Colonel Mykleby, reminiscent of the
X Article
The "X Article" is an article, formally titled "The Sources of Soviet Conduct", written by George F. Kennan and published under the pseudonym "X" in the July 1947 issue of ''Foreign Affairs'' magazine. The article widely introduced the term " ...
which helped galvanize U.S. consensus on
Containment
Containment was a geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism after the end of World War II. The name was loosely related to the term ''cordon sanitaire'', which was ...
of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
from the 1940s up until the
collapse of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
decades later).
[Mr. ]
"A National Strategic Narrative"
, pages 1-3, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC, 2011. Included in the 15 pages is a preface by
Anne-Marie Slaughter
Anne-Marie Slaughter (born September 27, 1958) is an American international lawyer, foreign policy analyst, political scientist and public commentator. From 2002 to 2009, she was the Dean of Princeton University's School of Public and Internat ...
, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
.
Summary
The preface provides a frame of reference and covers key themes of the article. Slaughter leads the reader from the strategic narrative of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
which "was that the United States was the leader of the
free world
The Free World is a propaganda term, primarily used during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, to refer to the Western Bloc and similar countries. It also more broadly refers to all non- communist and democratic countries. It has traditionally pr ...
against the
communist world
The Second World is a term originating during the Cold War for the industrial socialist states that were under the influence of the Soviet Union. In the first two decades following World War II, 19 communist states emerged; all of these were a ...
; that we would invest in containing the Soviet Union and limiting its expansion while building a dynamic economy and as just, and prosperous a society as possible".
She then sums up the proposed strategic narrative of the United States of the 21st century, in which "we want to become the strongest competitor and most influential player in a deeply inter-connected global system, which requires that we invest less in defense and more in sustainable prosperity and the tools of effective global engagement".
Slaughter goes on to discuss the five major transitions in the global system that the Narrative responds to. They are: 1) From control in a
closed system
A closed system is a natural physical system that does not allow transfer of matter in or out of the system, although — in contexts such as physics, chemistry or engineering — the transfer of energy (''e.g.'' as work or heat) is allowed.
In ...
to credible influence in an open system. 2) From containment to sustainment. 3) From
deterrence
Deterrence may refer to:
* Deterrence theory, a theory of war, especially regarding nuclear weapons
* Deterrence (penology), a theory of justice
* Deterrence (psychology), a psychological theory
* ''Deterrence'' (film), a 1999 drama starring Kev ...
and defense to civilian engagement and competition. 4) From
zero sum
Zero-sum game is a mathematical representation in game theory and economic theory of a situation which involves two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and an equivalent loss for the other. In other words, player one's gain is e ...
to positive sum global politics/economics. 5) From national security to national prosperity and security.
The Narrative itself begins with stating the intent of the document and an overview of the themes to be discussed, including actionable solutions. The body of the article is divided into sections, which are titled as follows: From Containment to Sustainment: Control to Credible Influence, Our Values and Enduring National Interest, Our Three Investment Priorities, Fair Competition and Deterrence, A Strategic Ecology, Closing the “Say-do” Gap - the Negative Aspects of “Binning", Credible Influence in a Strategic Ecosystem, Opportunities beyond Threat and Risk, A National Prosperity and Security
Act, and A Beacon of Hope, a Pathway of Promise. The authors determine that the enduring national interests are prosperity and security, which are underpinned, empowered and constrained by American values. An ultimately positive and
nonpartisan
Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party.
While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
focus on opportunity (embodied by the youth of the nation) and downplaying the centrality of risks and threats in strategic policy making, has resonated with a wider and wider audience in America and abroad.
Authors
The men behind Mr Y, Porter and Mykleby, have spoken at numerous events, contributed various articles, and worked with different organizations to spread the message of the Narrative and put it into action. Such organizations includ
Sandia National Laboratories New America Foundation
New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a think tank in the United States founded in 1999. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, educa ...
, and th
Naval Postgraduate School The authors actively push for a fundamental review of American grand strategy at the highest level, similar to the Solarium project under the Eisenhower administration. In May 2012, both halves of Mr. Y were recognized with the Ellis Island Award.
Impact
Though only published in 2011 and relatively young as a National Grand Strategy (compared to the decades-long approach it proposes),
[Steve Horn and Allen Ruff]
The Pentagon Pitches Its New Strategic Narrative
AntiWar.com, January 30th, 2012. the Narrative has already been the subject of much attention inside and outside of the United States government. The parallels between the Narrative and key themes of the
2012 State of the Union Address
The 2012 State of the Union Address was given by the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, on January 24, 2012, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 112th United States Congress. It ...
have been noted by some as signs of the growing influence of the Narrative. The growing popular support for the Narrative can be observed in a wide range of expressions, from fan pages to ring tones. The Narrative, or further related work by the authors, have been featured in various publications, to include the ''Journal of American Foreign Policy''. In cooperation with the authors, a website has been established at nationalstrategicnarrative.org/
[Thames, Shayne Hardy]
Hardy Thames Interview
WineMP3.com, 2012
References
External links
The Number One Threat Facing America is its Debt Burden Luce, Edward, New Statesman, April 18, 2012
Looking for Mr. Z: From a National to a Military Strategy Russell, Jill Sargent, King's College, London, March 23, 2012
The US in a 21st Century World: Do We Have What It Takes? Mark, Mykleby and Porter, Wayne, 25th Annual Camden Conference, February 19, 2012
The New Patriotism Byers, Rebecca, Trend Hunter, February 24, 2012
The Pentagon's 'Mr. Y' and National Security National Public Radio, April 26, 2011
Interdependency - A Whole of Nation Approach Paganelli, Ben, Read-Online.Org, February 21, 2012
Cloud Computing and the National Strategic Narrative Cloud Computing Journal, April 26, 2011
Forging the World: Strategic Narratives and International Relation Royal Holloway, University of London, January 17, 2012
Conference to Take Hard Look at US in This 21st Century World The Free Press, February 9, 2012
National Security, Sustainability, and Citizenship Mykleby, Mark, LRN, January 26, 2012
Luce, Edward, New Statesman, April 18, 2012
Video: The National Conversation Continues: A Follow Up Discussion with Mr. Y Wilson Center, July 13, 2012
Dwyer, Jim, The New York Times, May 3, 2011
Essential Thoughts on 21st Century Security Mykleby, Mark, Center for a Better Life, February 17, 2012
The Grand Strategy of Mr. Y Fried, Jonathan, Penn Political Review, April 29, 2011
Mr. Y: Best Military Strategy Starts at Home Shear, Jeff, Miller-McCune, September 26, 2011
New document is a bold call to action Charnoff, Daniel, Daily Trojan, April 21, 2011
No Room For Sense and Vision Steuteville, Robert, Better Cities and Towns Online, November 28, 2011
What Became of that Visionary National Strategic Narrative? Kreilkamp, Ann, Exopermaculture, February 12, 2012
A Needed National Strategy Kurtianyk, Michael, November 21, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Strategic Narrative
2011 documents
Publications of the United States government