On July 26, 1947 The National Security Act (Pub. L. No. 235, 80 Congress.) was signed into law by President Harry Truman. World War II had ended just 23 months earlier. For the next 46 years, two superpowers, the US and the USSR, would vie for world dominance. That war ended in 1991. Much has changed since then.
But one thing that has not changed is America's national security system.
PNSR is working hard to fix that.
The global economy. Pandemics. Terrorism. Access to oil. Global warming. Failed states. These are the types of complex issues that our world increasingly faces. National security is no longer dominated by defense and diplomacy.
Ensuring the viability and vitality of our nation and its great principles requires a wide range of talents from the federal government, state/local/tribal/territorial governments, the private sector, non-governmental agencies, academia and a host of other mission partners.
But, today, the United States Government lacks the institutions, processes, and know-how to operate collaboratively and on equal plane across the federal government and elsewhere.
The US national security system is outdated and misaligned with 21st century challenges. This is the premise that launched the Project on National Security Reform (PNSR). Mandated by Congress, PNSR has analyzed the problems within the current system, is facilitating the changes that are required for meaningful transformation, and has crafted instruments required to institutionalize a new way of business -- one that harnesses the full range of our nationss power.
This new report, Turning Ideas into Action, updates our progress, proposes next steps, and provides the actual implementation tools that will be required to make national security reform a reality.
We invite you to explore our ideas, consider our recommendations, and comment on our way ahead.
National security reform matter to all of us.
Leading the Way in National Security Reform
The Project on National Security Reform (PNSR) is a nonpartisan organization working to modernize and improve the U.S. national security system to better protect the American people against 21st century dangers.
Funded and supported by Congress, foundations and corporations, PNSR has carried out one of the most comprehensive studies of the U.S. national security system in American history.
The National Security Act of 1947, developed under President Truman, set up the current system in the aftermath of World War II. The State and Defense Departments, National Security Council, intelligence community, Homeland Security Department and Homeland Security Council are central players in the national security system.
Other cabinet departments such as Energy, Treasury and Commerce have more recently become important players in the system as well.
The world for which the national security system was designed no longer exists. Instead, the United States is confronted with a globalized, more unpredictable world with multidimensional threats. To provide for American security in this new world, the president and Congress require a more agile system.
Led by a 22-member Guiding Coalition that includes former senior federal officials with extensive national security experience, The Project on National Security Reform has issued its report- Forging a New Shield- which recommends solutions to the problems that plague the current system.
More than 300 experts from think tanks, universities, federal agencies, law firms and corporations also contributed to the PNSR report.
The Project on National Security Reform has delivered its recommendations to President Barack Obama, Congress, and the Department of Defense. Pending approval of reforms, PNSR is ready to support government leadership in implementing the recommendations through preparation of draft presidential directives, changes to Senate and House rules, and a new National Security Act to replace many provisions of the 1947 legislation.
