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The US Constitution mandates the government to provide defense. The national security strategy outlines how defense institutions will protect citizens, with principles that change over time. The strategy determines specific defense actions, influenced by the country’s power and priorities set by the President. Diplomacy and alliances are shaped by the strategy, with preferential treatment given to helpful countries. The nature of the military is determined by the identified threats, with a shift towards asymmetric warfare in recent years.
The US Constitution states that one of the primary purposes of the US government is to “provide the common defense”. The country’s national security strategy is the blueprint for how its defense institutions intend to protect its citizens. This plan consists of guiding principles that change over time with global trends and the power of the country itself.
The principles of the national security strategy determine the specific actions that the United States will take in matters of defense. This is similar to how a general’s strategy for winning a battle will determine the individual orders he gives to his troops. By defining national priorities and identifying key threats, the actions the United States takes on defense work toward a common set of security goals. These priorities are set by the President of the United States, in consultation with his national security advisers and the country’s Department of Defense.
American national security policy is largely influenced by the military and economic power of the country at any particular time. When the country is less powerful than other countries, its strategy will emphasize conflict avoidance. President George Washington, America’s first president, held out to prevent the young United States from becoming embroiled in the conflicts of more powerful European nations. Many years later, American presidents presiding over a much more powerful country entered two world wars to promote the nation’s security.
The country’s diplomacy and choice of allies are also shaped by its national security strategy. Those countries that are most helpful in dealing with what the United States identifies as current threats to its security will receive preferential treatment in foreign aid, military aid, and other diplomatic negotiations. As these perceived threats change, so do the alliances that the nation places the most value on.
The threats that its national security strategy identifies as most important will determine the nature, or attitude, taken by the United States military. During the Cold War, when the nation identified a conventional conflict with member nations of the Soviet bloc as a major threat, the nation built a large military trained and equipped to fight conventional battles. In the early part of the 21st century, when the nation was fighting insurgencies against the governments it was supporting, the United States shifted its training and resources to focus on asymmetric warfare.
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