{"id":38053,"date":"2018-01-17T18:08:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-17T18:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/17\/can-mattis-makes-the-national-defense-strategy-great-again\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:08:53","slug":"can-mattis-makes-the-national-defense-strategy-great-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/01\/17\/can-mattis-makes-the-national-defense-strategy-great-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Mattis makes the National Defense Strategy great again?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BRUSSELS \u2013 When the Pentagon rolls out the National Defense Strategy on Jan. 19, expect a lot of statements about how it will serve as a definitive document, one that will guide the Pentagon for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Pentagon has a reputation as a building filled with well-intentioned, game-changing documents that are delivered and then ignored. So, will this strategy be different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly, those involved in the planning are hopeful. In December, Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said the Jim Mattis-led team running the Pentagon is dedicated to keeping the document vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will probably talk about the National Defense Strategy a hundred thousand times\u201d in 2018, Shanahan predicted. \u201cBecause if we don\u2019t talk about it a hundred thousand times, it will just become a document that lives on a shelf \u2015 and the difference between strategy and real outcomes if you marshal resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked Jan. 15 in Brussels why he thinks this NDS will be relevant where other strategy documents have faded into the background, Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to two things. The first was the collaborative nature of how the NDS was put together, which included several meetings with the Joint Chiefs and a back and forth with the joint staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\t