Comparison of US national defense strategy and national military strategy

¶ … Nds Nms

National Defense Strategy (NDS)

The United States operates its defense methods and actions based upon our overall beliefs about what is meant by the Constitution's expectation that our government shall "provide for the common good." It is the Department of Defenses' "capstone" document, which lays the foundation for the grand ideals it expects to carry out as part of the larger presidential directives on using our forces at home and abroad.

National Military Strategy (NMS)

This directive exists as a result of Congressional and coordination directives. It seeks to identify and monitor operational readiness of the military forces and partners as they conduct their activities. An overview of these two documents can be found in the 2004 unclassified release of The National Military Strategy of the U.S.: A Strategy for Today; A vision for Tomorrow, which can be found at http://www.defense.gov/news/mar2005/d20050318nms.pdf.

COMPARISONS:

Each of the two documents and draws its guidance and operational direction from the President's National Security Strategy and other regular updates.

2. This common foundation aligns the overall goals and objectives with the nation's Constitution and with its ongoing military operational directives.

3. Each of the documents is prepared annually and updated as needed, drawing from other quarterly reports or crisis actions.

4. Both documents assess current and future threats and undertake a review of the risks and capabilities of the entire military and security establishments as they work to meet their goals and objectives.

5. Both documents assume that the military is the first line of protection inside the nation, as we partner with allies and friends from other countries, and in respond to national (including natural) crises.

CONTRASTS:

1. The NDS is grounded in the Constitutional expectations regarding "providing for the common good," while the NMS is administrative in nature and designed to coordinate the operations of the military with these higher goals.

2. The NDS is prepared by the President and offered as part of his or her National Security Strategy, while the NMS gains its authority from Title 10 of the U.S. Code, originating with the National Defense Authorization Act of FY2004.