Resourcing the National Security Enterprise

Book excerpt: "Considering the national security enterprise from the standpoint of strategic resourcing is neither simple nor straightforward. To succeed requires a multidisciplinary approach; a group of writers with substantial background knowledge on such diverse and byzantine topics as the Department of Defense acquisition system, the President's budget submission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Preparedness Frameworks; as well as a basic understanding of macroeconomics. Further, the development of a cohesive and logical narrative is difficult because the Framers' intended checks and balances among the executive and legislative branches effectively preclude the possibility of seamless integration among national security priorities. Each chapter in this book was written by a practitioner with decades of experience working resourcing issues in Washington. Their perspectives are informed by the cultures of the agencies in which they have worked and the positions they have held. Many currently teach in D.C. based graduate degree programs in a variety of disciplines from strategy to economics to organizational leadership. Thus, this book is intended as a theoretically grounded yet practical guide for those who seek to understand the inner workings of the American federal government"--