Natl Defense Strategy – Documents

New National Defense Strategy Emphasizes More Iraq-Like Missions(Inside The Pentagon)…Jason Sherman, May 22, 2008, Pg. 1

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to approve a new strategy that calls for greater emphasis on irregular operations, solidifying in a key Pentagon planning document his recent public admonitions that the military services must shift their focus away from preparing for conventional fights against superpowers in favor of plans for more Iraq-like missions.

The two volumes — which sources say will be unclassified once approved — are two of six so-called “gold standard” planning documents, most of which are designed in close coordination with each other, that provide strategic direction for the Defense Department.

Last week, Gates approved two others — the Guidance for the Development of the Force  and Guidance for the Employment of the Force. The Unified Command Plan and the Quadrennial Defense Review complete the Pentagon’s strategic planning library.

For the strategy nerds, Guidance for Development of the Force (GDF) replaces what was previously called Strategic Planning Guidance. GDF also replaces documents that include Transformation Planning Guidance, the Posture Guidance, the Science and Technology Strategic Guidance . GEF also consolidates documents that include Contingency Planning Guidance, policy guidance for the employment of nuclear weapons, and the Security Cooperation Guidance. (Ref: Gates Signs Planning Documents To Guide Investments, Operations REF: Inside The Pentagon May 15, 2008, Pg. 1 Jason Sherman