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THEME & OBJECTIVES
The goal of the National Security Decision Making Department curriculum is to educate
Naval War College students in the effective selection and leadership of military
forces within the constraints of available national resources. In support of this
primary objective, the department provides instruction in the strategic planning
and selection of future military forces, and their potential use as a tool of national
power, the nature of economic, political, organizational, and behavioral factors
that affect the selection and command of military forces; and in using expanded
critical thinking skills to formulate and execute strategy to achieve desired outcomes
within complex national security organizations.
CONCEPT
The National Security Decision Making Department considers all major defense planning
cases from integrated joint, and allied perspective. It examines national strategy,
stressing its economic, political-diplomatic, and military components, and then,
proceeding across the spectrum of conflict, studies specific regions, theaters,
and decisions to identify joint, i.e., multi-service, force requirements, deficiencies,
problems, alternatives, and risks. The department's curriculum realistically examines
the strengths and weaknesses of the national command structure, relying on extensive
case studies of contingencies such as Lebanon, GWOT, Haiti, Cuban Missile Crisis,
North Korea, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, as well as policy
decisions regarding the signing of treaties and the acquisition of weapon systems.
OBJECTIVES
During the course of the National Security Decision Making trimester, emphasis is
placed on preparation of military and civilian students for senior level command
and staff assignments. The selection of course objectives and instructional materials
is guided by the belief that effective, senior level executives do not apply discrete
academic disciplines to national security problems, but instead are required to
synthesize these disciplines into comprehensive decision-making and implementation
strategy. For this reason, the department uses an interdisciplinary approach which
synthesizes the analytical insights of economics, political science, management
theory, strategy, operations research, leadership, organizational psychology, and
other related disciplines. Moreover, the appropriate executive point of view is
considered to be an integrative one which draws on both academic instruction and
professional experience. In all teaching situations, students apply these concepts
to the most critical problems now facing national security planners. Areas selected
for special attention include:
- The national interests, objectives, and strategies of the United States, its major
allies, friends, and potential adversaries.
- The changing domestic and international economic, political, military, and organizational
environment affecting national security.
- The context of and political, organizational, and behavioral influences on national
security decision making and implementation.
- The security implication of international economic trends on international relations
including relations between industrialized and lesser developed nations.
- Joint military force-planning concepts, issues, and choices.
- Formulation of a National Security Strategy, National Military Strategy,
and total defense posture for the twenty-first century with supporting rationale.
- The structure and process for planning and programming joint forces and the interface
of that process with the federal budget process.
- A conceptual understanding of the tools for critical thinking and deciding among
complex defense issue alternatives.
- Selecting strategies to achieve key goals from a position of leadership within
complex national security organizations.
METHODOLOGY
National Security Decision Making course is divided into three sub-courses: Security,
Strategy, and Forces, Decision Making and Implementation, and Policy Making and
Process. The three sub-courses, taught in parallel during the trimester, use the
seminar method to create a challenging classroom environment. Together, they encourage
students to develop three related conceptual frameworks for assessing national security
issues:
- A framework for the assessment of the complex factors critical to development of
strategy, the sizing and structuring of future forces, and the allocation of scarce
defense resources.
- A framework that provides a systematic approach to decision making and to formulating
a strategy for implementation of decisions in a large, complex organization within
the national security environment.
- A framework for identifying the context and political, organizational, and behavioral
influences that shape decision making within the national security environment.
Students apply concepts from diverse readings to a series of real cases or issues
drawn from the national security environment. About a half dozen lectures and panels
per trimester allow nonresident experts to share perspectives with the students.
The student workload in the National Security Decision Making Department is structured
to require approximately 45 hours of in-class and out-of-class effort each week.
Each of the sub-courses has oral and written assignments which ensure a focused
and systematic exchange of views between faculty members and students. While some
assignments--such as seminar exercises in crisis response, negotiations, regional
strategic assessments, national military strategy and total force planning--are
ungraded, each sub-course culminates in an extensive written examination or paper
which requires students to synthesize, integrate, and apply course concepts to real
world problems The Security, Strategy, and Forces course requires that each student
write a paper analyzing a major policy, strategy, or force-planning issue currently
facing national security decision planners. Grading criteria and appeal procedures
for this paper and all examinations are outlined in the course syllabus.
RESIDENT COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
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National Security Decision Making |
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College of Naval Warfare |
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Naval Command College
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13 weeks |
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Preparation of senior level officers and civilians for executive positions in large
national security organizations. Major attention is given to joint and allied perspectives
at the theater level or above. Studies stress the growing complexity of decision
making at higher levels of responsibility and authority. Graduates will enhance
their ability to analyze rigorously the proposals of their staffs, to choose wisely
among competing strategies, to integrate decisions into comprehensive plans of action,
and then to implement their plans through effective leadership of subordinate organizations. |
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National Security Decision Making |
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College of Naval Command and Staff |
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Naval Staff College |
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13 weeks |
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Preparation of mid-grade officers and civilians for mid-level positions in national
security organizations. Major attention is paid to development of a staff perspective
of the resource allocation process. The course should increase each student's understanding
of economic, political, military, and national issues which affect force planning
decisions. Graduates will deepen their ability to assess complex, resource-constrained
issues of national security, to challenge assumptions, to lead change and to communicate
effectively as commanding officers and staff members in the decision-making structure. |
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National Security Decision Making |
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Naval Staff College |
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4 weeks |
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Preparation of mid-grade international officers for positions of responsibility
within their respective national defense organizations. The main goal of the course
is to acquaint students with the many political, economic, military, and psychological
variables confronting a defense manager. Students learn rational and systematic
approaches to the formulation, evaluation, implementation, and verification of decisions
within large, bureaucratic organizations. |
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Reserve Officer National Security Decision Making |
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90 Navy/Marine Corps/Army/Air Force/Coast Guard Reserve Officers |
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2 weeks |
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Abbreviated version of College of Naval Warfare course. Major attention focuses
on joint and combined perspectives at the theater level or above. The intent is
to better prepare senior officers of reserve components to advise seniors at the
major command level. |
CONTACT
NSDM.Administrative.Assistant@nwc.navy.mil
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