Introduction
A national security strategy is a document prepared periodically that outlines the major security concerns of a country. It is a crucial framework that is meant to meet the basic needs and security-related concerns and address external and internal threats to the state. The national security strategy refers to a country’s opportunities on the international level as well. It also focuses on the effectiveness of security providers, incorporating several critical issues as a way of ensuring the national security strategy relevance, public legitimacy, ownership, and sustainability, as well as facilitating their implementation and improving the efficiency of how security is provided (Deibel 2007). The term security is currently broad since it incorporates food security, climate change, control security, personal security, threat control, and lastly, the economic security of a country.
The national security strategy of France and the United States under analysis are written documents. They contain systematic plans and rational processes shaped and drafted by strong leaders, organizational cultures, government agencies, and structures (Biden, 2021). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate both national strategies reviewing their objectives’ advantages and disadvantages in terms of the threats, challenges, and opportunities they identify, the courses of action they propose to address, and the effects they have on other countries.
Principal Components of the Two National Security Strategies
The United States national security strategy is a written document mandated by section 603 of the Goldwater-Nichols department of defense reorganization act. The current report was done in 2022, commissioned by the president of the United States, Joe Biden. Aligned with national interests, the strategy was introduced to protect Americans’ security, expand economic opportunities and prosperity, and defend democratic values that constitute the core of people’s way of life. It focuses on the protection of people’s interest and democracy across the globe through military capacities, the technological development of military forces, global warming, and food security.
In turn, France’s national security strategy was written in 1972 by Georges Pompidou who was the president of the French Republic. With the strategic context of the time, the French authorities issued their first global statement of a national defense strategy with the Livre Blanc de la Defense Nationale. It focused on nuclear deterrence policy impacted by the atmosphere of Cold War. However, the initial strategy was reviewed in 1994 to emphasize the necessity of policies to mitigate the threat of regional conflicts (Liberi and Blain 2011).
Finally, a new White Paper was presented in 2008 with the assistance of the representatives of civil society, political parties, and other European nationalities. It stressed the necessity of national security combining the concepts of security and defence within the framework of globalization, terrorism, uncertainty, and interdependencies. The national security strategy of France was created to address all potential threats and risks that could impact the Nation’s life and protect the country’s territory and population. In addition, it aims to contribute to the international and European security, Finally, it refers to the protection of the republican values, collective and individual freedoms, democracy, and the respect for justice, human dignity, and solidarity.
United States
Assumptions
In general, the international and domestic assumptions of the United States’ national security strategy are based on the challenges of the post-Cold War era associated with competitions between countries for domination and the consequences of globalization for both international and domestic security, such as food insecurity, climate change, terrorism, communicable diseases, and economic challenges. At the same time, the United States sees their unique role in the provision of international security and the defense of its interests with respect to the international law and human rights (The White House 2022). The main strategies of the United States are investments and tools of American power and influence.
Opportunities and Threats that Form Objectives on the Basis of Interests
In order to establish international security, the United States aims to build the strongest possible coalition of nations. The country’s interests refer to the enhancement of its collective influence to shape the global strategic environment and strengthening the military for strategic competition with major powers (Berkowitz 2022; Farrel and Newman 2019). In general, the country’s major strengths include its competitiveness, innovation, resilience, and democracy. Moreover, one of the main factors that grant a country the status of a superpower and its substantial opportunity is the army’s capacity, both in personnel and resources. The military helps safeguard vital United States national interests by backstopping diplomacy, confronting aggression, deterring conflict, projecting strength, and protecting the American people and their economic interests.
Over recent years, new technology has transformed warfare into unique aspects, posing a threat to the United States and its allies. Due to that reason, the country is investing in a range of advanced tech, including applications in cyberspace domains, missile defeat capabilities, trusted artificial intelligence, and quantum systems. Nuclear weapons systems as a critical priority for the nation and foundational to integrated deterrence. Out-competing China while also constraining Russia is another top priority. China and Russia are increasingly becoming allies and pose a threat to the United States. Even though China and Russia align, their danger is distinct, and both cases are different treatments. The priority is to have a competitive edge over China while curbing a profoundly dangerous Russia.
Global warming poses a threat not only to the American people but to the rest of the world as well. It negatively affects food and water supplies, public health, infrastructure, and national security. The United States is making generational investments in the clean energy transition. In addition, the threat communicable diseases is considered as well – the recent pandemic killed almost 6.5 million people worldwide, including more than a million Americans (Czeisler et al. 2021).
These pandemics are unprecedented; the next attack is always more contagious and lethal. In order to address this challenge, the United States are improving early warning and disease surveillance, domestic manufacturing, and delivery of medical countermeasures in advancing biotechnology development and manufacturing while overcoming inequities in care quality and access.
Food security has been under associated threat due to factors such as global warming, the COVID-19 impact on a nation’s economy, and protracted conflicts between nations. The United States, in partnership with multilateral institutions and other partners, is working together to keep food and agricultural markets open, increasing fertilizer production and investing in climate-resilient agriculture. It is also implementing the global food security strategy. The United States’ prosperity also relies on open trade and international economic systems. It benefits from international trade’s ability to promote global economic growth and access foreign markets to promote U.S. exports and jobs.
France
Assumptions
The French national security strategy presents three basic principles: anticipation, reaction resilience, and power generation. These are further explained by the strategic functions: knowledge and expectation, prevention, nuclear deterrence, and protection through intervention. The process of learning and anticipation includes intelligence, diplomacy, analysis aimed at the international system, and management of the information collected. The protection of the French population and territory is a critical priority in the national security strategy. This effort enables the country to manage significant crises on land and sea territories (Johnson 2019). The country’s assumptions include the structural fragility of international stability and the increasing use of multifaceted and hybrid strategies.
Opportunities and Threats that Form Objectives on the Basis of Interests
According to France’s national security strategy, the main threats to international and its domestic security are regional conflicts, population movements, demand for energy and water supply, the consequences of the pandemic, related economic crises, information manipulations, and the rise of autocratic countries’ military power (Parly 2021). At the same time, France sees democracy, its cooperation with allies, innovation, and resilience as its major strengths.
In order to provide the security of its territories and population, the country form strategies for the improvement of its partnership with allies, including the United States and European countries, focus on conventional forces’ support for its nuclear forces, and the improvement of cybersecurity (Ostermann 2018). In addition, France aims to improve its military forces through personnel-related strategies and the implementation of technologies.
Comparison of National Security Strategies
The United States and the French national security strategies can be compared to a certain degree. Both systems have some similarities and differences – first of all, their national interests and strategies for their security in the same spheres correspond to each other (Kuzio 2016). The United States and the French nation have suffered at the hands of terrorism over the last decade. This situation has led to both countries remaining proactive in the military and national intelligence to counter-terrorism. In addition, the United States and France’s economies equally suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to their recession.
The United States of America and France have advanced in nuclear energy and also suffered cyber security attacks. At the same time, while the United States focuses on international security and the provision of safety for information, populations, and democracy across the globe establishing its supremacy, France pays closer attention to international threats in relation to its domestic security.
Evaluation and Analysis of the Two National Security Strategies
The United States national security strategy is desirable since it mainly focuses on the economic and military security of its citizens. The United States countering China and Russia on the international order secures the growth of the United States in all sectors of the national interests. The strategy safeguards the views of a free and democratic world, which is the future free from dictatorial regimes which infringe on people’s rights, especially in Russia.
The United States helps Ukraine fight against Russia, and this support makes it nearly impossible for Russia to win the battle. The United States of America has all the required instruments, including democratic values, military forces, and technological advancements, to achieve national security strategies. In addition, its massive economy gives it an advantage over its competitors and significant population (Liu and Woo 2018). The cost to achieve its objectives is increased taxation and its many allies. The national security strategy is feasible since it is rendered on a short-term basis of fewer than two years.
In turn, France’s national security strategies mainly cover its national security and international order that make them desirable as well. One of its objectives is to enhance the defense strategy by building a comprehensive armed force in which conventional and nuclear forces support each other. This effort prepares the armed forces to protect France’s boundaries against future attacks from its competitors. Persistent threats that it identifies are terrorism, proliferation, and return of competition between great powers. Terrorism is a significant concern because the jihadists’ problem is not resolved and will likely cause a global security challenge.
The proliferation of weapons used for mass destruction and their delivery system threatens global security. France’s national security strategy is desirable due to its concerns over global security in Europe and Africa and the resurgence of terror attacks (Pannier and Schmitt 2019; Parly 2021). The nation’s strategy is also feasible because France has the means, including partnership with allies, democracy, technological advancements, and economic diversity, to achieve the national security strategies. At the same time, the cost of these objectives is citizen’s economic challenges and the decrease of the quality of their lives as the competition between nations lead to conflicts on the basis of defence and pursuing national interests. In the globalized world, it economically affects other countries, and ordinary citizens’ basic needs cannot be fulfilled.
The United States’ national security strategy used three theories in the document – these are liberalism, constructivism, and realism. The most distinctive theory is liberalism; the basis of this theory is on the individuals’ rights, the government’s consent, and equity before the law. In turn, France uses the realism theory in its document; the theory explains the reality of international politics and the threats these dangers pose to the European Union. These problems have arisen from the self-centered nature of some countries in pursuit of gaining power in international politics.
Recommendations
Recommendations on the United States NSS include counter-terrorism measures as there should be increased international relations to fight terror groups worldwide. The country should mediate between international conflicts rather than take part in them to reduce the citizens’ suffering of the affected nations. The government should champion use of more green energy in production to reduce global warming. The United States should allocate more resources to fight food security due to the growth of the world population. The country should form alliances with other nations to champion a more accessible world and democratic one.
Recommendations on France’s national security strategy include the allocation of more resources to the medical field to remain proactive in pandemic management and timely analysis and monitoring of proliferation trends to curb avoidable mass destruction. In addition, forming allies to educate the masses on the effects of terrorism rather than increasing military advancements will work better. Moreover, France should continue investing in cyberspace technology to keep up with their competitors, using their position to strengthen the laws of prevention and responses to vulnerable groups in society at the international level.
Conclusion
National security strategies are a vital tool for the development of a country. A laid-out national security strategy provides the government an insight into where to invest in matters relating to national security. A national security strategy is a tool used to predict future crises, and it helps prevent or curb the effects of such concerns if they occur in the future. National security strategies help nations work together to address common problems such as food security and global warming.
References
Berkowitz, Marc J. 2022. “Dominance or Deterrence? the Role of Military Power in Addressing Challenges to U.S. National Security Interests.” Comparative Strategy: 1-13. Web.
Czeisler, Mark É., Mark E. Howard, and Shantha M. Rajaratnam. 2021. “Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges, Populations at Risk, Implications, and Opportunities.” American Journal of Health Promotion 35 (2): 301. Web.
Deibel, Terry L. 2007. Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Farrell, Henry, and Abraham L. Newman. 2019. “Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion.” International Security 44 (1): 42–79. Web.
Johnson, James. 2019. “Artificial Intelligence & Future Warfare: Implications for International Security.” Defense & Security Analysis 35 (2): 147. Web.
Kuzio, Taras. 2016. “Ukraine Between a Constrained EU and Assertive Russia.” JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 55 (1): 103. Web.
Liberti, Fabio, and Camille Blain. 2011. “France’s National Security Strategy.” Real Instituto Elcano. Web.
Liu, Tao, and Wing Thye Woo. 2018. “Understanding the U.S.-China Trade War.” China Economic Journal 11 (3): 319. Web.
Ostermann, Falk. 2018. Security, Defense Discourse and Identity in NATO and Europe. London: Routledge.
Pannier, Alice, and Olivier Schmitt. 2019. “To Fight Another Day: France between the Fight against Terrorism and Future Warfare.” International Affairs 95 (4): 897. Web.
Parly, Florence. 2021. “2021 Strategic Update.” École Militaire 2021. Web.
The White House. 2022. “National Security Strategy.” Biden-Harris Administration’s National Security Strategy. The White House. Web.