Pentagon Recommends 'Whole-of-Government' National Security Plans - Walter Pincus, Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has formally adopted the concept that national security planning and budgeting cannot be done by the Pentagon alone, according to the Defense Department's newly released Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review Report. … The Pentagon document recognizes that there already are interagency groups that work when needed to plan unified actions on national security problems. But it calls for establishing a more permanent framework that includes 'commonly understood strategic concepts, operational principles, relationships between agencies, and roles and responsibilities.' One example of existing informal cooperation, according to the Pentagon, is taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'We are committed to using our operational and informational activities and strategic communication processes in support of the Department of State's broader public diplomacy efforts,' the document says. But it talks of expanding that partnership to 'better enable the U.S. Government to engage foreign audiences holistically and with unity of effort.'"

Is the military invading the State Department? - Christian Brose, Foreign Policy: "I am all in favor of the idea behind 'smart power' -- better aligning the tools of diplomacy, defense, and development. More resources are essential, but pouring more money into the State Department and USAID as they are currently constituted will not create better outcomes. Much of the good work done at State is done despite the fact that the institution all too often limits individual initiative and plays to the lowest common denominator."