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The National Security Strategy Essay

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The National Security Strategy considers the enduring US national interests as “the security of the US, its citizens, and US allies and partners; a strong, innovative and growing US economy in an open international economic system that promotes opportunity and prosperity; respect for universal values at home and around the world; an international order advanced by US leadership that promotes peace, security, and opportunity through stronger cooperation to meet global challenges.” The Defense Strategic Guidance, published in 2012, directs that DOD develop smaller, less-cost, creative ways to achieve national security by increasing advisory roles, rotational presence, and exercises. Complimenting both, the Quadrennial Defense Review, …show more content…

In 2003, the Iraq campaign saw a sizeable US force in the initial phase, followed by an increase to a much larger force as the war became protracted. In Afghanistan, especially following the US withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq, the US force presence grew substantially until the 2013 drawdown, again demonstrating the ‘yo-yo’ approach. The US documents referenced earlier indicate that policy makers deduced that regime changes, vice what the US had previously considered irregular challenges/warfare, took much more effort and required larger scale, protracted presence.
According to policy, post-2010 US military approach to the irregular challenges moved away from the ‘yo-yo’ and now focuses on regional and international security, aggression deterrence, and opposing violent extremism. According to the National Military Strategy, “Preventing wars is as important as winning them, and far less costly.” Factoring heavily in current irregular challenges, the US military continues to operate effectively across all domains (land, air, sea, space) in addition to a new and emerging domain of cyberspace, although presently from a mostly defensive mindset. Additionally, the US military maintains the capability to respond to frequent irregular challenges such as natural disaster response, pandemics, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction efforts, and terrorism. Lastly, present US military efforts to document and

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