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SEST-618 Defense Challenges in the XXIth Century
Spring only
Meigs
This semester we will look at defense challenges from several perspectives. We will focus on three themes: (1) the essence of strategic leadership at the national and theater level (2) changing factors in the strategic environment and with them strategic paradigms and policies, and art of operations and (3) the rationale for and the efficacy of the use of force. We will assess what has changed in the strategic environment since the end of the Cold War, particularly in the areas of transnational terrorism. By studying campaigns conducted since 1995 by the Bush, Clinton and current administrations, given an understanding of what is changing, students will develop a sense of the practicality and the unintended consequences of the use of military force. We will also delve into the mechanisms by which political leadership derives the need for the use of force, their tools for employing it, and the degree to which their decisions seem effectively to apply military power and diplomatic energy to root causes. As we develop insights across the wide spectrum of conflict from acts of terrorism to war, students should keep asking the question, what does today’s changing environment mean for how we conceive of, develop and execute our national security strategy? What is the essence of successful leadership at the strategic level? How does the nature of that leadership affect results on the ground and vice versa?
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
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