DEFENSE POLICY
790:323:01 M/W 3:55-5:515
123 Bartlett Hall
Instructor: Brian Humphreys
E-mail: brian72@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 2:30 to 3:30 pm, and by appointment at Hickman 310.
Required Texts:
Sapolsky, Harvey M., Eugene Gholz, and Caitlin Talmadge. US defense politics: the origins of security
policy. Routledge, 2013.
Summary:
The past decade has been one of radical change and innovation in American defense policy. Large-scale
interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced mixed outcomes that defy easy analysis.
Meanwhile, new threats are emerging both in the Middle East and other trouble spots around the globe.
Entire volumes of military doctrine have been created, discarded, or both during this time as warfighters
and policymakers have struggled to keep up with and influence events. Policymakers of all political
stripes have struggled to define both vital national interests and a defense policy that can secure them.
New structures within the policymaking apparatus, the government, and the military itself, have
appeared, which will shape the ideas and decisions of future generations of soldiers, bureaucrats, and
statesmen alike.
This course aims to be much more than a study of organizational charts, budgets, and weapons systems,
or the parsing of decisions made by famous leaders. The goal is for students to understand how U.S.
defense policy emerges from a constantly evolving conceptualization of the nature of war, the nation,
and vital national security interest. The emphasis is on the politics of policy.
The influence of world events and pressures at the international systemic level, the personalities of
individual leaders both at home and abroad, institutional origination and change, shifting public opinion
and social change, appearance of new technology, and changes in national capacity to project military
power abroad are all considered as factors, which affect how war and national interest are
conceptualized and pursued.
Prerequisites:
While there are no formal prerequisites for this course, a familiarity with the basic concepts of
international relations and with the general outlines of American political, economic, and diplomatic
history will sometimes be assumed. Students may wish to take Political Science 102 (the introductory
course in international relations here at Rutgers) before taking this class. Students without a strong
foundation in American history may find it necessary, rather than simply useful; to do additional reading
in addition to what I have assigned.
Grading:

Reading Quizzes: 10 percent.

Participation: 5 percent

3 position papers (750-1000 words): 30 percent

Midterm: 20 percent.

Final: 35 percent.
Attendance, Classroom Behavior, and Assignments:
ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY: Although attendance is not formally built into your grade calculation,
the reading quizzes and participation component both require your presence in the classroom. Likewise, I
have taken care not to burden you with unnecessary reading, but that means that some of the material
will be presented only once – in class.
As a rule of thumb, missing two classes during the term will not affect your final grade as long as you
make an effort to catch up with material you missed. These are NOT vacation days. This is a reasonable
accommodation for minor illnesses, car problems, alarm clock issues and other similar things that
happen to even the best students. Serious illness requiring the care of a physician and major family
emergencies should be documented. Let me know about these cases as soon as possible and please
provide documentation. In rare cases where the attendance policy is flagrantly abused, I reserve the right
to lower final grades further. (Usually this is a self-correcting problem. Regular attendance correlates
positively with exam and assignment grades.) A sign-in sheet will be used for every class session.
ASSIGNMENTS: Papers must be turned in to me in class the day they are due. They must be typewritten,
have standard fonts and margins, BE STAPLED, and use black ink on white paper. I do not accept late
papers except in cases of a documented major illness affecting you or a direct family member. If you
cannot make it to class because of a minor illness or other similar issue, I will accept e-mail submissions
on an exceptional basis. Regardless, papers must be submitted by the beginning of class.
Assigned readings must be done BEFORE class. A total of ten reading quizzes will be administered
randomly throughout the term. You will only be responsible for the readings assigned for the class in
which the quiz is given. I give you one “freebie” to cover the odd absence or brain freeze. PLEASE do not
ask about make up reading quizzes. That’s why I give you the freebie.
Readings not in the textbook will be made available on Sakai.
EXAMS: You must be in class on exam days. If exceptional circumstances apply, I will consider
adjustments on a case-by-case basis. Anything short of a verified death in the immediate family, verified
medical emergency requiring hospitalization, or similar dire circumstance, will not be approved as a valid
excuse for missing an exam. Non-emergency travel is not a valid excuse except in cases of travel on
behalf of the University as a varsity athlete. (If this applies, see me right away and provide
documentation from your team’s academic liaison.) If you already know you cannot be in class on one of
the exam days for reasons other than the above, you must drop this class. You need to be in class
whatever it takes. Make sure your car works, get to the bus stop early, set two alarms, take some cold
medicine and bring some tissues…
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: No cell phones or texting. No computers or tablets. Cognitive research shows
that computer note taking is far less effective than an old-fashioned pen and paper. Having pages of
notes is useless if you cannot remember what happened in class or were so absorbed in note taking that
you were unable to remain engaged with the material being discussed. Computers are also a major
source of distraction.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: Please arrive on time. Habitual tardiness will be counted as absences. IF you
know you will need to leave before the end of class, please see me beforehand and sit near the door.
Rude or disrespectful behavior towards the instructor or other students may result in a lowered grade or
other disciplinary action in extreme cases.
FOOD AND DRINK: Drinks are OK if they are covered and you take responsibility for clean up. Food is
noisy, smelly, messy, and distracting. Please eat before or after class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND WRITING STANDARDS: Plagiarism is using other people’s work or ideas
without giving them credit. THIS APPLIES TO REPHRASING and other similar practices. Cheating is the
unauthorized use of reference material from whatever source (cheat sheets, smartphones, another
student’s paper) to complete exams. Plagiarism or cheating will result in a zero grade for the assignment
or exam in question, and possible referral to an Academic Integrity Facilitator for review. Flagrant or
repeat offenders (I don’t expect any) may be referred to the Office of Student Conduct, which can result
in severe penalties including expulsion. No more than 20 percent of any writing assignment should
consist of quotes or paraphrases, even if properly attributed. You may consult Wikipedia, CIA World
Factbook, and other similar sources to brush up on names, dates, events, etc. but these cannot be used
as primary sources for your papers.
Schedule of Readings and Class Topics
BEGINNING OF TERM
Wednesday, September 3rd.
Course Overview and Requirements: “The politics of defense policy.”
1. Monday, September 8th.
Topic: Why are we driven to war?
Gat, Azar. War in Human Civilization. (Oxford: 2006.)
(Chapter 1: pp. 3-10, Chapter 7: pp. 133-145.)
2. Wednesday, September 10th.
Topic: Origins of the American Republic and U.S. Defense Policy. Or, what is American about U.S.
defense policy?
The Declaration of Independence. (Read list of grievances against King George III carefully.)
Available online at: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm
Kohn, Richard: “The Constitution and National Security: The Intent of the Framers”, in American Defense
Policy, 8th ed. Paul Bolt et al. eds. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 2005.)
(pp. 88-101)
3. Monday, September 15th.
Topic: Enduring questions, changing politics, and America’s security strategy.
(Textbook pp. 1-31)
4. Wednesday, September 17th.
Topic: The evolution of U.S. civil-military relations.
(Textbook pp. 32-54)
5. Monday, September 22nd.
Topic: Managing defense.
(Textbook pp. 55-73)
6. Wednesday, September 24th. PAPER 1 Due!
Topic: The Fog of War (Viewing and writing assignment)
Watch before class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwXF6UdkeI4
“The Fog of War”, documentary about Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, 1hr 45 minutes.
7. Monday, September 29th.
Topic: Who fights America’s Wars?
(Textbook pp. 74-95)
8. Wednesday, October 1st.
Topic: Service Politics.
(Textbook pp. 96-118)
9. Monday, October 6th.
Topic: The Role of the Military in the Policy Process.
Cohen, Eliot. “Leadership Without Genius”, pp. 174-205 in Supreme Command. (New York: Anchor Books,
2003)
10. Wednesday, October 8th.
Topic: Congress, Special Interests, and Presidents. (Textbook)
11. Monday, October 13th.
Topic: The political economy of defense.
(Textbook pp. 119-143)
12. Wednesday, October 15th.
Topic: The weapons acquisition process
(Textbook pp. 144-162)
13. Monday, October 20th.
Topic: What is military effectiveness and how do we measure it?
Brooks, Risa and Elizabeth A. Stanley, eds. Creating Military Power: The Sources of Military Effectiveness.
(Stanford: 2007.) Read pp. 1-26. Available on Google books at:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jHYqXJA0i6QC&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq=%22Brooks%22+
%22Creating+military+power:+the+sources+of+military+...%22+&ots=U6cIke6XGJ&sig=irsj0wxkMkdj8N
62zZ2JdoIfUFY#v=onepage&q=&f=false
14. Wednesday, October 22nd.
MIDTERM
15. Monday, October 27th.
Topic: Revolution in military affairs or intellectual fad? Analyzing change in military affairs and its
implications for military effectiveness.
Cohen, Eliot. “A Revolution in Warfare”, in Foreign Affairs. (75/2, pp. 37-54)
Biddle, Stephen. “Afghanistan and The Future of Warfare,” in Bolt et al. ibid. (pp. 371-376)
16. Wednesday, October 29th.
Topic: How many troops do we really have? (Fewer than you think) How many do we need? (It depends)
“A top down review for the Pentagon,” NYT op-ed by Major General Paul Eaton (ret.)
17. Monday, November 3rd.
Topic: The best laid plans… Politics, policy, and the human factors of military organization, leadership,
and combat. Or, why do “Black Hawk Down” scenarios occur and reoccur?
Not a good day to die, By Sean Naylor. Chapters TBA
18. Wednesday, November 5th.
Topic: Counterinsurgency.
On the Ground in Afghanistan: Counterinsurgency in Practice, (pp. 1-27)
19. Monday, November 10th.
Topic: Building national armies abroad, from Latin America to Afghanistan.
“Developing Host-Nation Security Forces,” in The Counterinsurgency Field Manual (pp. 199 – 235)
Humphreys, Brian. “Problems of Culture and Leadership in the Afghan National Army.” The Marine Corps
Gazette. (July 2007 91/7. pp. 46-49)
20. Wednesday, November 12th.
Topic: “We’re never doing that again”, and why we do. Foreign internal defense (FID) and nation
building.
21. Monday, November 17th. PAPER 2 Due!
Topic: Mock planning conference.
22. Wednesday, November 19th.
Topic: Why are we doing this? Or, is defense policy always (or ever) rational?
Rhodes, Edward, “Constructing Power: Cultural Transformation and Strategic Adjustment in the 1890’s”,
in Trubowitz, Peter, Emily Goldman, and Edward Rhodes, eds., The Politics of Strategic Adjustment: Ideas,
Institutions, and Interests. (Columbia: 1999.)
(pp. 29-79)
23. Monday, November 24th.
Topic: Blame Canada! Who are our probable adversaries?
Shore, Sean M. “No Fences Make Good Neighbors”, in, Security Communities, Emmanuel Adler and
Michael Barnett, Eds. Cambridge: 1999. (pp. 333-368)
24. Wednesday, November 26th.
Topic: Holiday traditions and leave policy in the military.
THANKSGIVING RECESS
25. Monday, December 1st.
Topic: Agenda setting in American defense politics: From the unthinkable to the unthinking.
Reading TBA
26. Wednesday, December 3rd.
Topic: Success and Failure, Credit and Blame, and Lessons Learned: How does this affect defense policy
over time?
Reading TBA
27. Monday, December 8th.
Topic: Mobilizing society for war, and bearing the costs of war.
Reading TBA
29. Wednesday, December 10th. PAPER 3 Due!
Topic: Should we change defense policy? A critical review of current thinking.
CTRL + ALT + DELETE
Resetting America's Military
BY SHAWN BRIMLEY AND PAUL SCHARRE
What Would a New U.S. Military Look Like (NYT discussion)
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/07/14/what-would-a-new-us-military-look-like
MAKE SURE to click “read the discussion tab” on left side under the picture of the two soldiers relaxing.
Brimley and Scharre’s redesign of the U.S. armed forces: Welcome to my fantasyland!
BY THOMAS E.
RICKS
Opinion: Abolish the Air Force
By Thomas Farley
FINAL EXAM PERIOD: December 15-22. Exact time TBA.