US National Security Strategy Includes Food and Energy Priorities

The strategy also outlined the importance of improving the U.S. economy for national security “through better education, national debt reduction, a stronger U.S. clean energy industry, greater scientific research and a revamped health care system,” the news service reports (Gearan/Loven, 5/27).

In an introduction to the strategy (.pdf), President Barack Obama writes that the U.S. Armed Forces “will always be a cornerstone of our security, but they must be complemented.” Obama adds, “Our security depends on diplomats who can act in every corner of the world … development experts who can strengthen governance and support human dignity.”

Part of the document focuses on promoting national security through global health and related efforts. “The freedom that America stands for includes freedom from want. Basic human rights cannot thrive in places where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive,” the document states, noting the U.S. role in assisting with efforts to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

Kaiser Foundation