Foreign & Defense
Policy
Overview of Chapter 20
Pop Quiz 20
1.
2.
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4.
5.
6.
Name 2 members of the National Security
Council besides the President and vice
President.
Name one of the worldviews described in
the text.
What percent of our military today is
volunteer?
What term describes the practice of asking
for every possible bell and whistle in new
equipment?
What is the job of the BRAC Commission?
In what building complex is DOD
headquartered?
Types of Foreign & Defense Policy
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Majoritarian politics: Widely distributed benefits
and widely distributed costs “We’re all in this
together” (ex: declaring war and military alliances)President controls
Interest Group politics: Groups compete with
each other for costs and benefits (ex: who gets
contract)-Congress mainly has control
Client politics: Washington gives aid to groups
that that do business abroad (ex: policy toward
Israel)-Congress mainly has control
Entrepreneurial politics: Congress carries out
investigations when scandals hit (SS prostitute
scandal)
Constitutional & Legal Context
 Power
over foreign affairs shared by president and
Congress; creates struggle
 President
Commander in Chief, Negotiates treaties
 Congress declares war, controls purse strings & Senate by
2/3 approves treaties
 Americans
consider president in charge of foreign
affairs
o Have sent out troops over 125 times
o Have formally declared war 6 times
Chain of Command

Important agencies/departments:
State Dept., Defense Dept., NSC, & CIA
 Presidents today rely on both Secs. also on NSA

President receives more approval from Congress on foreign
matters than domestic
 President is much stronger than Founders imagined (ex.:
T.J. and the pirates; Abe blockades Southern ports; Reagan
in Grenada)
 President has much less power over troops and foreign
affairs than leaders in other countries, though.

Foreign Policy: The Machine

Coordination of foreign & defense policy managed
by NSC – Chaired by the Pres. With the VP, Sec. of
State & Defense, CIA Director, Chairman of JCS,
and Attorney General; headed by the NS Advisor
o
o

NSC brings options before president and implements
his decisions
Pres.’s decisions are issued through a National
Security Decision Directive (NSDD)
Consequences of NSC foreign policy :
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Rivalries of agencies worsen rivalry with leg. branch
Organizations’ interests affect the positions they take
Interpreting Power of Presidents
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SCOTUS rarely gets involved in disputes over foreign policy
Biggest check on Pres. is Congressional Powers of Purse but
these have never really been used-only threatened
Important restrictions on Presidents since Vietnam:
o Limits on aid to other countries
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War Powers Act 1973
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Boland Amendment- Prevented aid to Nicaraguan Contras
Notify Cong. within 48 hours
Bring troops home in 60 days if no cooperation from Congress
Must bring troops home if Congress passes a concurrent resolution
cutting off funding
Oversight by House/Senate Intelligence Committees
o
Get reports from CIA on covert and other missions
Public Opinion
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WWII led to internationalism-U.S. became dominant world power
Public often changes their minds out of deference to Pres.’s
authority and desire to support country in foreign conflict AKA
“rallying around the flag”
President must have public trust
Elite opinion usually differs from public opinion
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Changes more rapidly
Leaders usually more liberal
Support economic aid, reducing tariffs, defending allies
Public usually worried more about protecting jobs at home than
overseas matters
Worldviews (Paradigms)
Perception of problems facing US in the world & how to respond
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Isolationism: Opposed to getting involved in others’ wars; stemmed from
bitterness about WWI
Containment (anti-appeasement): Push back any nation it sees as threat
to our/allies power & safety
Disengagement: Don’t get involved in a conflict without exit strategy;
Conflicts must be winnable
Human rights: We’re obligated to help others who have been wronged or
harmed (often occurs during genocide or oppression)
Pre-emption: Take the threat out before they can strike US
What factors Influence the growth or
decline of the defense budget?
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Crisis in war can influence the budget
Political Party matters in voting for conflict
approval.
War disapproval by public (such as the
second term of George W. Bush) matters
as to how elections are decided.
The Military Budget
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Has remained constant as part of GDP
Many demand that “peace dividend” be
shifted to domestic programs
Others argue defenses must stay strong to
prevent nuclear proliferation & terrorism
Our military is an all-volunteer force! No
draft since 1975! Young men 18-25 still
must register with Selective Service
Debates have arisen over women & gays
in military-Obama’s policy’s have
expanded both roles.
The Military Budget
What else do we get for our money?
 Big ticket items
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Small ticket items
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Overruns caused by special needs of common
items like the coffee maker
Readiness
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Lead to cost overruns, underestimation to gain
bid, gold plating, sole-sourcing, & delays
Easy to cut, but often dangerous
Bases
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Which bases should be closed? BRAC decides
Military-industrial complex
The Military-Industrial complex is a concept used to
refer to the relationship between legislators, the
armed forces, and the industrial sectors that
support them.
These relationships include political contributions,
political approval for defense spending, lobbying
to support bureaucracies, and legislation and
oversight of the industry.
It is a type of iron triangle.
 This includes corporations and contracted
manufacturers like Northrop Grumman, Academi
and Lockheed Martin
Chain of Command in DOD
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Command structure of Dept. of Defense
redefined by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986
Chain of command
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President
Secretary of Defense (Chuck Hagel)
Sec. commanders of Army, Navy & Air Force
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Service Chiefs of
Staff are responsible for readiness of U.S. military. They
serve as President's military advisers, but are not in the
chain of command.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the
highest ranking military officer in US. (Gen. Martin
Dempsey)
Chain of Command in DOD
Terrorism as a reality
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Discuss Boston Marathon attack.
What policies can we pursue to prevent
future attacks?
Which is a bigger threat: Domestic or
foreign terrorism?
Which is harder to prevent?
What do we do to feel safer?