CRS INSIGHT
The 2017 National Security Strategy:
Issues for Congress
December 19, 2017 (IN10842)
|
Kathleen J. McInnis
|
Kathleen J. McInnis, Analyst in International Security (kmcinnis@crs.loc.gov, 7-1416)
On December 18, 2017, the Trump Administration released its first National Security Strategy
(NSS). The document maintains that, in addition to the threats posed to the United States by
rogue regimes and violent extremist organizations that have been a central focus of national
security policy since the end of the Cold War, great power rivalry and competition have once
again become a central feature of the international security landscape. To advance U.S.
interests effectively within this strategic context, the Administration argues, the United States
must improve domestic American security and bolster economic competitiveness while
rebuilding its military. The NSS is organized into four interconnected "pillars":
Protect the American People, the Homeland, and the American Way of Life, which
focuses on border security, immigration, improving resilience to catastrophic events,
and combating threats to the American homeland, including those from weapons of
mass destruction.
Promote American Prosperity, which concentrates on rejuvenating the domestic
economy; promoting free and reciprocal economic relationships; leading on research,
innovation, and invention; and protecting the national security innovation base.
Preserve Peace Through Strength, which focuses on defense policy, including
improving the lethality of the joint force, and articulates U.S. interests in different
regions around the world, as well as ways to advance U.S. interests using diplomatic
and economic means.
Enhance American Influence, which aims to improve the U.S. ability to achieve its
desired outcomes in multilateral fora, as well as broaden the community of states with
