The White House Project
Real Security Initiative
Community Conversation
For women leaders, as for all public minded citizens, learning about the fast evolving role of the military in US democracy is the precursor to consistently addressing the issue in public deliberations. This knowledge is a vital part of leadership in today’s changing world. Since the end of the Cold War, but especially since 9/11, familiarity with military issues is important for nearly every part of US national security policymaking, from debating the budget to declaring war.
From 2007 though 2008, The White House Project’s Real Security Initiative will convene Community Conversations all across the United States to discuss the evolving strategies necessary to deal with the changed landscape of national security. The Real Security Platform is a new way to think about national security, where traditional state security needs and the requirements to ensure the safety of people are inseparable and complimentary, not tradeoffs. Here at the White House Project, we believe that addressing them both will require innovative policy thinking as well as changed budget priorities. The United States now faces security threats ranging from unstable states to individuals and organizations with the means of mass destruction. Most of these challenges cannot be solved through the use of force or through the use of the military alone. The Real Security Initiative aims to bring this debate into the mainstream through Community Conversations.
The Community Conversation is a large group (30-50) facilitated discussion that brings members of the White House Project network together with one or more veterans, who will be able to address the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as other military service experiences. After telling a story of how military missions have changed based on personal experience, the veteran engages in a discussion with the participants. There will be a moderator between the veteran and the audience and also, possibly, a local security expert. The objective of these conversations is to educate women leaders and other Americans about how today’s missions, humanitarian intervention and stability operations, stand in stark contrast to the Cold War. These changes will require a thorough discussion among the public and elected leaders, not only about the use of force, but also about budget priorities, possible new institutions and the division of labor among existing institutions, both civilian and military.
