Introduction

In a turbulent and disorderly world, where bandwidth is no longer a technical term relating to radio frequencies but rather a synonym for the limited capacity of decisionmakers to deal with simultaneity, the United States must have a national security decisionmaking system to support its global role. Every President needs a decisionmaking system that harnesses the full capabilities and accumulated wisdom of the U.S. government and the nation’s many stakeholders. Yet national security professionals—the officials who must advise the President on the most difficult decisions—cite a range of structural problems that hinder effective policymaking. Since 2004, the American