Author Question: In what ways has the primary responsibility of the Department of Defense, which is to defend the ... (Read 98 times)

cookcarl · **on:** Jul 9, 2018

In what ways has the primary responsibility of the Department of Defense, which is to defend the nation from external attack, been expanded in the pursuit of other objectives? Provide two examples of military missions that have gone beyond the

department's primary responsibility. Referring to Figure 18.2, how has this expanded role of the military affected defense spending? What arguments have been made by policy experts regarding whether the current approach to defense is making America safer?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Which do you think make presidents more effective:

their formal powers, or their informal powers? Be sure to cite specific presidential powers to support your argument. Include a conclusion that summarizes your argument.

What will be an ideal response?

irishcancer18 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 9, 2018

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1, Provide two examples of military missions that pursued objectives beyond keeping the nation safe from external attack, such as counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East, providing assistance to war-torn areas in Africa, antidrug operations in South America, and the struggle to maintain stability in Afghanistan.
2, Note that although defense spending has varied with historical events, it is trending clearly upward, and the United States spends more money on defense than any other nation.
3, Identify the argument for maintaining the U.S. military advantage because it acts as a deterrent to attacks on the United States by both state and non-state actors who fear reprisal by U.S. forces.
4, Discuss the arguments against the current approach, which are twofold: (1) a large military is no longer necessary, since today's concerns have less to do with the threat of attack from a large country like the Soviet Union and more to do with threats from non-state actors like terrorist groups; (2) maintaining such a powerful military forces other countries to depend on the United States for defense, thereby making the U.S. military a global police force and America a greater target for terrorist groups.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response will:
1, Construct an argument and support it with specific examples from the text.
2, Describe the impact that presidents have through legislation, foreign policy and national security as commander in chief, the use of the veto, and executive orders.
3, Argue that a president must be effective in persuading other political figures, mobilizing public support for policy initiatives, and using personality or charisma to lead the nation in order to accomplish governing objectives with the formal powers of the office.
4, Include a conclusion that summarizes the argument and support for the argument.