LEARN TO LEAD - Civil Air Patrol

We are improving the integration of skills and capabilitieswithin our military and civilian institutions, so they complementeach other and operate seamlessly. We are alsoimproving coordinated planning and policymaking andmust build our capacity in key areas where we fall short.This requires close coopera-tion with Congress and adeliberate and inclusive interagency process, so that weachieve integration of our efforts to implement and monitoroperations, policies, and strategies. To initiate thiseffort, the White House merged the staffs of the NationalSecurity Council and Homeland Security Council.However, work remains to foster coordination acrossdepartments and agencies. Key steps include more effectivelyensuring alignment of resources with our nationalsecurity strategy, adapting the education and training ofnational security professionals to equip them to meetmodern challenges, reviewing authorities and mechanismsto implement and coordinate assistance programs, andother policies and programs that strengthen coordination.• Defense: We are strengthening our military to ensurethat it can prevail in today’s wars; to prevent and deterthreats against the United States, its interests, and ourallies and partners; and prepare to defend the UnitedStates in a wide range of contingencies against state andnonstate actors. We will continue to rebalance our militarycapabilities to excel at counterterrorism, counterinsurgency,stability operations, and meeting increasinglysophisticated security threats, while ensuring our force isready to address the full range of military operations.This includes preparing for increasingly sophisticatedadversaries, deterring and defeating aggression in antiaccessenvironments, and defending the United Statesand supporting civil authorities at home. The most valuablecomponent of our national defense is the men andwomen who make up America’s all-volunteer force. Theyhave shown tremendous resilience, adapt¬ability, andcapacity for innovation, and we will provide our servicemembers with the resources that they need to succeedand rededicate ourselves to providing support and carefor wounded warriors, veterans, and military families. Wemust set the force on a path to sustainable deploymentcycles and preserve and enhance the long-term viabilityof our force through successful recruitment, retention,and recognition of those who serve.• Diplomacy: Diplomacy is as fundamental to ournational security as our defense capability. Our diplomatsare the first line of engagement, listening to our partners,learning from them, building respect for one another, andseeking common ground. Diplomats, development experts,and others in the United States Government must be ableto work side by side to support a common agenda. Newskills are needed to foster effective interaction to convene,connect, and mobilize not only other governments and internationalorganizations, but also nonstate actors such ascorporations, foundations, nongovern¬mental organizations,universities, think tanks, and faith-based organizations,all of whom increasingly have a distinct role to play onboth diplomatic and development issues. To accomplishthese goals our diplomatic personnel and missions mustbe expanded at home and abroad to support the increasinglytransnational nature of 21st century security challenges.And we must provide the appropriate authorities andmechanisms to implement and coordinate assistance programsand grow the civilian expedi¬tionary capacityrequired to assist governments on a diverse array of issues.• Economic: Our economic institutions are crucialcomponents of our national capacity and our economicinstruments are the bedrock of sustainable nationalgrowth, prosperity and influence. The Office of Managementand Budget, Departments of the Treasury, State,Commerce, Energy, and Agriculture, United States TradeRepresentative, Federal Reserve Board, and other institutionshelp manage our currency, trade, foreign investment,deficit, inflation, productivity, and national competitiveness.Remaining a vibrant 21st century economic poweralso requires close cooperation between and among developednations and emerging markets because of the interdependentnature of the global economy. America—like other nations—is dependent upon overseas marketsto sell its exports and maintain access to scarce commoditiesand resources. Thus, finding overlapping mutual economicinterests with other nations and maintaining thoseeconomic relationships are key elements of our nationalsecurity strategy.• Development: Development is a strategic, economic,and moral imperative. We are focusing on assisting developingcountries and their people to manage securitythreats, reap the benefits of global economic expansion,and set in place accountable and democratic institutionsthat serve basic human needs. Through an aggressiveand affirmative development agenda and commensurateresources, we can strengthen the regional partners weneed to help us stop conflicts and counter global criminalnetworks; build a stable, inclusive global economy withnew sources of prosperity; advance democracy andhuman rights; and ultimately position ourselves to betteraddress key global challenges by growing the ranks ofprosperous, capable, and democratic states that can beour partners in the decades ahead. To do this, we are expandingour civilian development capability; engagingwith international financial institutions that leverage ourresources and advance our objectives; pursuing a developmentbudget that more deliberately reflects our policies21