IAP 15W (January 2015) Embracing the Interagency Implications of a Changing National Security Strategy

by Patrick Wempe

The security strategy of the United States is in a time of transition. A national security apparatus dominated by counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts since 9/11 is evolving in global security and domestic fiscal environments filled with complexity and uncertainty. There are profound implications for the Army and how it fights, and in what it does when it is not fighting.

The U.S. military, including the Army, will be critical to the nation’s security, but should not dominate the strategic approach to the challenges ahead and represent but one element of the nation’s power. Ensuring sufficient capability in interagency collaboration is critical to the Army’s ability to be an effective partner in the nation’s security strategy. However, the Army lacks a clear strategy for achieving readiness in that area.

This paper examines the criticality of Army-interagency collaboration and assess the Army’s readiness to effectively engage and leverage the interagency. It discusses existing guidance and illustrate the need for a more clearly-articulated Army interagency strategy, focusing primarily on organizational and leader development efforts, with recommendations for improvements in those areas.