Memorandum to the President

Introduction

Unlike the during the Cold War years, today the United States is not faced with any single major threat to our national security (Korb, 2003, p. 1). The demise of the Soviet empire effectively eradicated the threat from a competing superpower, and a new global world order was ushered in with America at the apex. However, American superiority alone can not serve to isolate and protect her citizens, because the safety and prosperity of American citizens “are more bound than ever to events beyond our border” (Obama, 2010, p. 7). The advances and advantages that have come with globalization have also ushered in new threats. Addressing these threats produced in such an interdependent environment requires a holistic approach and synergistic response. This challenge will require “all the instruments of national power, including diplomatic, information, military, economic, and a range of other tools” (Jordan, 2009, p. 233). We must work to strengthen our alliances and collective networks through which we may guide struggling states into peaceful societies and contain and deter those whom wish to wage war. The world we seek is one of a cooperative world order; one in which American leadership spearheads preventive diplomatic and collaborative efforts to create an environment in which the United States and other free societies will not simply exist, but flourish.

A New Security Strategy: A Cooperative World Order

Confronting the Challenges of Asymmetrical Warfare

In these post-Cold War years, the United States has emerged as the world’s sole remaining superpower with unmatched conventional military capabilities (Snow, 2014, p. 286). As a result, conventional warfare has become obsolete, and adversaries have turne...

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