Invest Less in Defense and More in Sustainable Prosperity

From Containment to Sustainability

July 2011 - Col. Mark Mykleby of the Marines and Capt. Wayne Porter of the Navy, both special strategic assistants to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently released a paper called “A National Strategic Narrative” as a framework for policy decisions. From the preface: “We want to become the strongest competitor and most influential player in a deeply interconnected global system, which requires that we invest less in defense and more in sustainable prosperity and the tools of effective global engagement.”

GreenSource: What was your aim in writing “A National Strategic Narrative”?

Porter: The concepts reflect our views only, and do not represent official policy of the U.S. government, the Navy, the Marine Corps, or the Pentagon. It was intended to be a nonpartisan reminder of who we are in today’s global environment. Americans cannot allow themselves to be defeated by the external threat from extremist violence or autocratic regimes, and we cannot hope to find the strength for continued greatness by looking only to the accomplishments of our past and beyond our own borders.

Mykleby: We need to make sustainability a national strategic imperative for the 21st century, just as containment was during the Cold War. Such a cognitive shift in our outlook will serve to foster innovation that will be essential to sustain our qualitative growth as a people.

GS: What drove you to such a conclusion? read more>>>