Applying Critical Elements of NSC-68 to Contemporary United States Security Strategies

NSC-68 provided the framework for how the United States would confront a shifting strategic environment created by the USSR. It demanded that the United States use all elements of national power, including the military, to support its European allies and contain the spread of Soviet-style communism throughout the Cold War. Similar to 1950, the strategic landscape is shifting. China is emerging as the most significant threat to achieving US strategic goals. That stated, the United States can use three key aspects of NSC-68 in light of China's rise. First, the US security strategy should orient on a single adversary. Next, the security strategy should describe the risk associated with pursuing alternate US strategies instead of solely expressing the risk of inaction. Finally, the security strategy should inform the complementary options that the US can employ using the diplomatic, economic, informational, and military elements of national power.