Military thinkers: for a bright American future, look to sustainability and liberalism

[n2doc]

BY DAVID ROBERTS
6 MAY 2011 4:12 PM

A while back, somebody, I can't remember who, sent me a paper by two military officials, Capt. Wayne Porter (Navy) and Col. Mark Mykleby (Marines), called "A National Strategic Narrative" (PDF). It's not an official military document, just these guys' thoughts, but they are high-placed advisors to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, so it's safe to say it represents cutting edge thinking in at least some significant military circles. I kept meaning to write about it, but it looks like the NYT stole my thunder.

The paper is a big-picture attempt to tell a new story about America's place in the 21st century world, and to break once and for all from strategies and habits of thought that belonged in the 20th.

I really recommend reading the whole thing -- it's not that long. But here are the main shifts the authors describe (as described by Anne-Marie Slaughter in her intro):

From control in a closed system to credible influence in an open system.
From containment to sustainment.
From deterrence and defense to civilian engagement and competition.
From zero sum to positive sum global politics/economics.
From national security to national prosperity and security.

more
http://www.grist.org/politics/2011-05-06-military-thinkers-american-future-sustainability-liberalism

[Historic NY]

1. Interesting, I wonder how it will be recieved.