1. Chief of Mission Authority as a Model for National Security Integration
- Author:
- Edward Marks and Christopher J. Lamb
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- The inability of the President of the United States to delegate executive authority for integrating the efforts of departments and agencies on priority missions is a major shortcoming in the way the national security system of the U.S. Government functions. Statutorily assigned missions combined with organizational cultures create “stovepipes” that militate against integrated operations. This obstacle to “unity of effort” has received great attention since 9/11 but continues to adversely affect government operations in an era of increasingly multidisciplinary challenges, from counterproliferation to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. Presidents have tried various approaches to solving the problem: National Security Council committees, “lead agencies,” and “czars,” but none have proven effective.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States