National Security Strategy Development (NSSD) and Implementation

Virtual Academic Program

April 20 – May 5, 2021

English | Français | Português | عربي

Information Note
Schedule
Biographies
Africa Center Overview

Session 1  |  April 20, 2021

National Security Strategy, Implementation Matrix, and Sectoral Security Strategies

Presented by:

  1. Mr. Matthew Andrews
  1. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Saleh Bala
  1. Dr. Fairlie Chappuis

Objectives:

  • Discuss the ways national security strategy process can provide mechanisms to ensure its implementation, such as developing an implementation matrix.
  • Examine the link between the national security strategy and sectoral security strategies, such as national defense or counterterrorism strategies, and how they support implementation of the national security strategy.
  • Discuss how the national security strategy process can improve coordination and decision-making mechanisms through more effective divisions of labor.
  • Share some of the common challenges during national security strategy implementation and how these challenges can be overcome

Discussion Questions:

  • Have you been involved in the design, drafting, or implementation of a public policy, strategy, or sectoral security strategy in your country? Was the policy or strategy successfully implemented? Did it deliver the expected results? Why or why not? Please share your experience.
  • Based on your own experiences, why do you think the implementation of public policies often fails?
  • How have you seen some of the challenges frequently encountered in implementing public policies overcome? Could these methods help overcome challenges in implementing national security strategy in your country (current or future strategy)?
  • Does your country have either a national security strategy and/or a national defense strategy or other sectoral security strategies? How do these relate to each other? Which was developed first? What challenges or successes have you observed in their implementation?

Required Reading:

Session 2  |  April 27, 2021

National Security Strategy, Allocation of Resources and Leveraging Partnerships

Presented by:

  1. Dr. Willene Johnson
  1. Ambassador (Ret.) Phillip Carter III
  1. Dr. Emile Ouedraogo

Objectives:

  • Discuss the link between national security strategies and allocation and realignment of resources among and between security and non-security institutions.
  • Examine how national security strategies can improve transparency and accountability in security resource management.
  • Discuss how a national security strategy can provide a framework to harness and leverage partnerships in security assistance and cooperation.

Discussion Questions:

  • Which sectors, security or non-security, do you think are receiving more resources in your country and why?
  • Are security threats facing your country more internal or external? Which security institutions (police, intelligence, military) do you think receive the biggest budgets and why? Are these the institutions responsible for responding to the country’s greatest security challenges?
  • Has your country been receiving security assistance? If so, how effective do you think this assistance has been?
  • How do you think having a national security strategy could facilitate better management of security resources and better leveraging of security assistance and partnerships to meet national priorities?

Required Reading:

Session 3  |  May 4, 2021

National Security Strategy, Civilian Oversights, Monitoring, and Periodic Review

Presented by:

  1. Capt. Joaquim Pacheco dos Santos
  1. Hon. Jefferson S. Kanmah
  1. Dr. Fairlie Chappuis

Objectives:

  • Discuss how having a national security strategy can help to improve civilian oversight of the security sector in delivering security to citizens.
  • Examine how a national security strategy implementation monitoring system can adjust and respond to unanticipated threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in an iterative way.
  • Discuss how often a national security strategy will ideally be reviewed and evaluated in light of the national security strategy implementation system’s monitoring mechanisms

Discussion Questions:

  • What do you think the feeling and level of satisfaction of citizens is in your country about the way security actors such as police, intelligence and army are discharging their duties? How is or can security institutions’ performance be assessed objectively?
  • Do you think the security sector, particularly police, intelligence, and army, should be accountable and answerable to civilian authorities? Why or why not?
  • Do you think it is a good idea for civil society and media to follow and publicly report on the performance of the security sector, particularly the police, intelligence, and army?
  • How can having a national security strategy help in monitoring the security sector and building trust and good relations between citizens and security actors such as police, intelligence and army?
  • What are some of the challenges in your country to adapting public policies, like a national security strategy or sectoral security strategy, to unexpected shocks (like the pandemic) or fast-emerging security threats?

Required Reading: