Developing Strategic Leaders for the 21st Century

Abstract

If America is to meet the multiple challenges of the 21st century, it is crucial that it develop a system that places the right people in the right places in government at the right moment. The nation critically needs civilian policy makers who can manage change and deal with the here and now. This monograph examines the development of career civilian leaders for strategic decision making in the national security policy process. Such development must include the recruitment of quality personnel, experiential learning through a series of positions of increasing responsibility, training for specific tasks or missions, and continuous education that considers both policy and process. Consequently, it requires people who are not only substantively qualified and knowledgeable regarding policy issues but who also possess the leadership abilities to direct large complex organizations. This analysis considers existing efforts in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop civilian leaders and provides appropriate recommendations for each. It also outlines the changes required to existing personnel management systems and development programs to create an effective cadre of civilian national security professionals for the policy process. These three departments were selected because they have traditionally had the primary role in the development of foreign and defense policy. The key actions required in a counterinsurgency involve "work we associate with civilian skill sets and even agencies -- but the uniformed military is often placed in the position of having to undertake such activities." Consequently, a rebalancing of roles between military and civilian leaders is required. This new security environment requires better qualified career civilian leaders to think in different patterns in order to accomplish these daunting tasks.

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