{ "id": "R44023", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44023", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 586830, "date": "2017-01-30", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T14:52:26.885724", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Obama Administration released a new National Security Strategy (NSS) on February 6, 2015. It was the second NSS document to be published by the Administration; the first was published in May 2010. The 2015 document states that its purpose is to \u201cset out the principles and priorities to guide the use of American power and influence in the world.\u201d The NSS is a congressionally mandated document, originating in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433, \u00a7603/50 U.S.C \u00a73043). \nThe 2015 NSS emphasizes the role of U.S. leadership; the words \u201clead,\u201d \u201cleader,\u201d \u201cleading,\u201d and \u201cleadership\u201d appear 94 times in the context of the U.S. role in the world. It also acknowledges national limitations and calls for strategic patience and persistence.\nThe 2015 report retains much of the underlying thought of the 2010 version. However, its emphasis appears to shift away from the U.S. role in the world being largely a catalyst for action by international institutions to one that reflects more involved leadership both inside those institutions and between nations, both bilaterally and through facilitating cooperation between nations.\nIt also takes a tougher line with both China and with Russia, while emphasizing the desirability for cooperation with both.\nThe 2015 report raises a number of potential oversight questions for Congress, including the following:\nDoes the 2015 NSS accurately identify and properly emphasize key features and trends in the international security environment? Does it adequately address the possibility that since late 2013 a fundamental shift in the international security environment has occurred that suggests a shift from the familiar post-Cold War era to a new and different strategic situation?\nDoes the 2015 NSS qualify as a true strategy in terms of linking ends (objectives), means (resources), ways (activities), and in terms of establishing priorities among goals? Is it reasonable to expect the unclassified version of an NSS to do much more than identify general objectives?\nDoes the 2015 NSS properly balance objectives against available resources, particularly in the context of the limits on defense spending established in the Budget Control Act of 2011? Are Administration policies and budgets adequately aligned with the 2015 NSS?\nAre NSS statements performing the function that Congress intended? How valuable to Congress are they in terms of supporting oversight of Administration policies and making resource-allocation decisions? Should the mandate that requires the Administration to submit national security strategy reports be repealed or modified? If it should be modified, what modifications should be made?\nThe FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act, P.L. 114-328, modified requirements for the NSS only in mandating a classified format. More significant changes in the act occurred in establishing a National Defense Strategy and in requirements for the National Military Strategy.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44023", "sha1": "593a95ed4ae7e1f44a63ae755a99343fe8fd6293", "filename": "files/20170130_R44023_593a95ed4ae7e1f44a63ae755a99343fe8fd6293.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44023", "sha1": "4c1b6b64f4dd43684f8f751370f551d7d0d45ae0", "filename": "files/20170130_R44023_4c1b6b64f4dd43684f8f751370f551d7d0d45ae0.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4903, "name": "Strategy, Operations, & Emerging Threats" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 451477, "date": "2016-04-05", "retrieved": "2016-10-17T20:11:22.906095", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Obama Administration released a new National Security Strategy (NSS) on February 6, 2015. It was the second NSS document to be published by the Administration; the first was published in May 2010. The 2015 document states that its purpose is to \u201cset out the principles and priorities to guide the use of American power and influence in the world.\u201d The NSS is a congressionally mandated document, originating in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433, \u00a7603/50 U.S.C \u00a73043). \nThe 2015 NSS emphasizes the role of U.S. leadership; the words \u201clead,\u201d \u201cleader,\u201d \u201cleading,\u201d and \u201cleadership\u201d appear 94 times in the context of the U.S. role in the world. It also acknowledges national limitations and calls for strategic patience and persistence.\nThe 2015 report retains much of the underlying thought of the 2010 version. However, its emphasis appears to shift away from the U.S. role in the world being largely a catalyst for action by international institutions to one that reflects more involved leadership both inside those institutions and between nations.\nIt also takes a tougher line with both China and with Russia, while emphasizing the desirability for cooperation with both.\nThe 2015 report raises a number of potential oversight questions for Congress, including the following:\nDoes the 2015 NSS accurately identify and properly emphasize key features and trends in the international security environment? Does it adequately address the possibility that since late 2013 a fundamental shift in the international security environment has occurred that suggests a shift from the familiar post-Cold War era to a new and different strategic situation?\nDoes the 2015 NSS qualify as a true strategy in terms of linking ends (objectives), means (resources), ways (activities), and in terms of establishing priorities among goals? Is it reasonable to expect the unclassified version of an NSS to do much more than identify general objectives?\nDoes the 2015 NSS properly balance objectives against available resources, particularly in the context of the limits on defense spending established in the Budget Control Act of 2011? Are Administration policies and budgets adequately aligned with the 2015 NSS?\nAs part of its anticipated review of the Goldwater-Nichols act, how should Congress define its role in shaping national security strategy? Should Congress do this through an independent commission, or in some other way?\nAre NSS statements performing the function that Congress intended? How valuable to Congress are they in terms of supporting oversight of Administration policies and making resource-allocation decisions? Should the mandate that requires the Administration to submit national security strategy reports be repealed or modified? If it should be modified, what modifications should be made?", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44023", "sha1": "9846f57d991cee02ff2c56152829d0c93ed8a6d0", "filename": "files/20160405_R44023_9846f57d991cee02ff2c56152829d0c93ed8a6d0.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44023", "sha1": "df0b4b2435259642fe04847344bab0b4f8091942", "filename": "files/20160405_R44023_df0b4b2435259642fe04847344bab0b4f8091942.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4903, "name": "Strategy, Operations, & Emerging Threats" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc847634/", "id": "R44023_2016Feb26", "date": "2016-02-26", "retrieved": "2016-06-02T05:26:07", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses the National Security Strategy (NSS), a document released by the Obama Administration which states that its purpose is to \"set out the principles and priorities to guide the use of American power and influence in the world.\"", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20160226_R44023_0fdfa36f5b0e3598b2ae3b87eebdf91a9ee2afe7.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20160226_R44023_0fdfa36f5b0e3598b2ae3b87eebdf91a9ee2afe7.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security", "name": "National security" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National defense", "name": "National defense" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc795632/", "id": "R44023_2015Oct01", "date": "2015-10-01", "retrieved": "2016-01-13T14:26:20", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses the National Security Strategy (NSS), a document released by the Obama Administration which states that its purpose is to \"set out the principles and priorities to guide the use of American power and influence in the world.\"", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20151001_R44023_28c8ff0bf82c0486646b95114170c0a0cd8406ae.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20151001_R44023_28c8ff0bf82c0486646b95114170c0a0cd8406ae.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security", "name": "National security" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National defense", "name": "National defense" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700634/", "id": "R44023_2015Jul02", "date": "2015-07-02", "retrieved": "2015-08-27T16:20:31", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses the National Security Strategy (NSS), a document released by the Obama Administration which states that its purpose is to \"set out the principles and priorities to guide the use of American power and influence in the world.\"", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150702_R44023_2bfe077868f8f1458fb1f8575f17c65018ff4a1c.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150702_R44023_2bfe077868f8f1458fb1f8575f17c65018ff4a1c.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security", "name": "National security" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National defense", "name": "National defense" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc689251/", "id": "R44023_2015May11", "date": "2015-05-11", "retrieved": "2015-08-03T15:06:47", "title": "The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses a number of potential oversight questions raised by a National Security Strategy (NSS) document released by the Obama Administration.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150511_R44023_14a633635a8b5051d98da7e4f6d41e45c14933ac.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150511_R44023_14a633635a8b5051d98da7e4f6d41e45c14933ac.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security", "name": "National security" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National defense", "name": "National defense" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }