Don Snider reflects on his experiences in the drafting of the 1988 National Security Strategy (NSS) and what purpose that document serves. With Matt Scalia interviewing, Don describes the political context within which the NSS was written and the five audiences that the NSS must serve. He also discusses the challenges facing new Administrations in building political consensus and forging strategies that reflect the preferred agenda of the President.
[The National Security Strategy] is not really a strategy document. When everything is said and done, the National Security Strategy … is a political document of the first order. … Every Administration has to create political consensus internally and that’s what this document does.
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Don Snider is a professor emeritus with the U.S. Army War College. Matt Scalia is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College resident class of 2017. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Army or the U.S. Government.
Photo Credit: Michael Evans/The White House/Getty Images