POL 151 colleagues—Read Chapter 8 in our text (SWC, 2013) on the “military establishment.” You might also want to review Chapter 7’s discussion of the Department of Defense, and Chapter 3 to refresh your memory about the spectrum of conflict. You might also find some or all of these additional resources useful:

Joint Chiefs of Staff (n.d.) About the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Available at http://www.jcs.mil/About/

Department of Defense (n.d.). Unified Combatant Commands. Available at https://dod.defense.gov/About/Military-Departments/Unified-Combatant-Commands/

Copp, T. (2018). INDOPACOM it is: US Pacific Command gets renamed. Available at https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/05/30/indo-pacom-it-is-pacific-command-gets-renamed/

Mehta, A. (2018). National Defense Strategy released with clear priority: Stay ahead of Russia and China. Available at https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2018/01/19/national-defense-strategy-released-with-clear-priority-stay-ahead-of-russia-and-china/

Metha, A. (2018). National Military Strategy update in the works—most of which will again be classified. Available at https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2018/01/16/national-military-strategy-update-in-the-works-most-of-which-will-again-be-classified/

TASK #1: What is the military “chain of command”? What is the role of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? What are the Unified Combatant Commands?

TASK #2: On September 28, President Trump signed into law an appropriations bill that will fund the Defense Department for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 (October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019). You can read the law, along with an overview and a summary here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr6157. How much money does the law give to the Defense Department for FY 2019? Is this an increase, a decrease or the same compared to last year? How much of the money is specifically for the Global War on Terrorism, which includes operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria?

TASK #3: According to our textbook (SWC, 2013) what are core values and characteristics of the military profession and how do these factors shape the role of the military in the national security policymaking process?

TASK #4: We use the acronym, DIMEFIL (expansion: Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic, Financial, Intelligence, Law Enforcement) to describe various instruments of national power that may be used to protect and advance US national interests. But the use of the military instrument may mean a decision to go to war. In 1984 President Reagan’s Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger provided a set of principles to guide decisions about using military forces. Colin Powell, when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993), had a similar set of rules. Do you think these rules still apply today? Why or why not? Give examples to support your position.

BONUS TASK (2 points): Soon after the National Security Strategy document was published in December 2017, the Defense Department issued the National Defense Strategy (NDS). An unclassified summary is available here:https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf What are some of the key themes in the NDS? Why is the NDS important?