• DMCA
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Whitelist
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Capital Combat
  • Home
  • Sky combat
  • prepping
  • national security
  • defense review
  • Home
  • Sky combat
  • prepping
  • national security
  • defense review
No Result
View All Result
Capital Combat
No Result
View All Result

Move Over State Department, DoD Shapes Foreign Policy • The Havok Journal

Capital Combat by Capital Combat
September 2, 2021
in national security
0
Move Over State Department, DoD Shapes Foreign Policy • The Havok Journal

by an anonymous former Special Forces Officer

“Distrust and caution are the parents of security.” –Benjamin Franklin

_________

Has the Constitution created a gap and seam in U.S. national security?  By design, the framers of the Constitution created checks between the Executive and Legislature branches.  The Constitution created a separation between the ends and ways, controlled by the Executive branch and the means, allocated through Congress. While the power to declare war constitutionally rests in Congress, the President commands the military and is responsible for planning U.S. security strategy. The framers of the Constitution did take care to limit the president’s powers regarding the military; Alexander Hamilton explains this in Federalist No. 69

”The President is to be Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy of the United States.  It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces … while the power of the British king extends to the declaring of war and to the raising and regulating of fleets and armies, all of which … would appertain to the legislature.” 

Along with the armed forces, the President also directs U.S. foreign policy.  The President decides whether to recognize new nations and new governments and negotiates treaties with other nations, which become binding on the United States when approved by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.  Congress has an important role in national security, including the exclusive power to declare war, to raise and maintain the armed forces. 

However, the real gap or seam in U.S. national security stems not from these constitutionally mandated separations in power between Executive and Congress but rather in the gap between national security and foreign policy.  At a time when adversaries seek asymmetrical advantages over the U.S., a disconnect between our military and foreign policy is one that can potentially be exploited.  

Dana Priest wrote in a book called The Mission about how the military’s regional combat commanders were responsible for planning operations and managing security relations in vast swaths of the world and increasingly served as the faces of U.S. foreign policy. U.S. military leaders acknowledge the role foreign policy plays in shaping military strategy, however, there is increasing frustration with State Department’s inability to lead U.S. foreign policy.

Some argue that the reason for the State Department’s inability to lead the nation’s foreign policy is due to the lack of resources. Former Secretaries of Defense and Chairman’s of the Joint Chiefs have advocated for greater State Department funding. The State Department has determined that it needs an additional $3.3 billion across four years to meet its current mission requirements. Such a sum amounts to roughly a 1.5 percent increase in the department’s $52.8 billion operations budget per year.

That is a small number compared to the annual budget request of the Defense Department. However, lack of financial resources is not the primary issue. The State Department’s inability to conduct U.S. foreign policy is due to its lack of efficacy and leadership. As an organization, the State Department does not train or prepare its leaders to conduct planning and execution on a commensurate scale with the U.S. military. Lacking efficiency and leadership, U.S. foreign policy implementation, therefore, defaults to the Department of Defense. 

Although the U.S. military is quick to long for the days when it simply could fight and win the nation’s wars, in reality, the Department of Defense will continue to shape U.S. foreign policy. For example, Combatant Commanders continue to shape the foreign policy regionally through the execution of the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Foreign Military Sales (FMS), and International Military Education and Training (IMET) program. Foreign Military Financing has preserved the peace between Israel and Egypt and the IMET program has allowed US senior leaders to foster and leverage relationships vital to national security interests.

Improving the capabilities of the State Department and creating civilian operational capacity are vital to sealing the gaps between U.S. military and foreign policy. However, this will take time. The U.S. cannot afford to abrogate the security of the nation to allow the State Department to catch up. Therefore, the Department of Defense must continue to act as a principal element in the execution of foreign policy. The military may no longer have as its purpose merely to fight and win America’s wars but now must create conditions for peace and stability. 

© 2021 The Havok Journal

havokjournal@havokmedia.com

The Havok Journal welcomes re-posting of our original content as long as it is done in compliance with our Terms of Use.

More Articles Related To This



Source
Move Over State Department, DoD Shapes Foreign Policy • The Havok Journal is written by Special Guest for havokjournal.com

Previous Post

NRA Blog | The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Going Above and Beyond

Next Post

SCA Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award!

Next Post
SCA Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award!

SCA Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our Newsletter

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
NRA Blog | FREE NRA Experienced Hunter Education Course now Online

NRA Blog | FREE NRA Experienced Hunter Education Course now Online

August 23, 2021
NRA Blog | NRA Free Online Hunter Education Course Recognized by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

NRA Blog | NRA Free Online Hunter Education Course Recognized by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

October 15, 2021
NRA Blog | NRA Launches Free Experienced Hunter Education Course

NRA Blog | NRA Launches Free Experienced Hunter Education Course

July 1, 2021
Inspire Students with Over 70 Game Levels This Hour of Code

Inspire Students with Over 70 Game Levels This Hour of Code

November 17, 2020
Intersection of the “Mind of the System” and “Mind of the Disruptor” • The Havok Journal

Intersection of the “Mind of the System” and “Mind of the Disruptor” • The Havok Journal

0
Increasing Equity and Representation in Computer Science

Increasing Equity and Representation in Computer Science

0
More Than 60 Game Levels to Enjoy During Hour of Code!

More Than 60 Game Levels to Enjoy During Hour of Code!

0
3 Takeaways from the 2018 Computer Science Education Week Kickoff Event

3 Takeaways from the 2018 Computer Science Education Week Kickoff Event

0
Intersection of the “Mind of the System” and “Mind of the Disruptor” • The Havok Journal

Intersection of the “Mind of the System” and “Mind of the Disruptor” • The Havok Journal

May 24, 2022
Top Gun Movie Fact vs Fiction

Top Gun Movie Fact vs Fiction

May 23, 2022
Why Fight Wars at All? • The Havok Journal

Why Fight Wars at All? • The Havok Journal

May 20, 2022
A Thankless, Perhaps Impossible Job • The Havok Journal

A Thankless, Perhaps Impossible Job • The Havok Journal

May 10, 2022

Categories

  • defense review
  • national security
  • prepping
  • Sky combat

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • DMCA
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Whitelist

© 2021 All Rights Reserved capitalcombat.net

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Sky combat
  • prepping
  • national security
  • defense review

© 2021 All Rights Reserved capitalcombat.net