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Reforming America's National Security System

On December 11, 2008, the Center for National Policy hosted Honorable James R. Locher III, Executive Director of the Project for National Security Reform (PNSR) and Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as keynote speakers on "Reforming America's National Security System."

Mr. Locher began his presentation by recommending extensive reform of the national security system.  Drawing on an 800-page report from the Project on National Security Reform, Locher argued that a lack of horizontal integration between departments, coupled with a weak National Security Council, have created a security system which is too cumbersome to react to crisis situations and too compartmentalized to develop a truly nationalized security strategy.  Locher advocated a series of reforms designed to consolidate and streamline the national security policy-making process, emphasizing national interests over departmental preferences, and flexible strategies over ridged polices.  Specifically, Locher supports consolidating the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council into a broader President's Security Council, empowered with the ability to make policy and oversee budgets, rather than just advise senior officials.  On the Congressional side, Locher recommends creating an integrated national security budget, with special contingency funds set aside for unforeseen emergencies.  

Ambassador Pickering reiterated Mr. Locher's call for an integrated national security system, with the White House national security staff functioning as a "cupola," overseeing the policy-making process.  At the crux of this system would be a cultural shift emphasizing inter-departmental cooperation over "beggar-thy-neighbor" activities and inter-agency turf-wars.  To accomplish this, Ambassador Pickering advocated the creation of a national security professional corps, comprised of individuals with significant inter-departmental experience, and assigned to prominent positions dealing with overarching security concerns.  Additionally, the Ambassador recommended an overhaul of the security clearance system, so that individual clearances are respected throughout the government.  Although Pickering understands that trying to initiate bureaucratic reform on such a wide scale is difficult, he is nevertheless confident that these reforms are both possible and beneficial to the national security policy-making process.