Master of Arts in Security Studies (Strategy and Policy) - Curriculum 688

Program Officer

Adam Arndt, CDR, USN

Code 38, Glasgow Hall, Room 336

[phone], DSN 756-3781

[e-mail]

Academic Associate

Covell Meyskens, Ph.D.

Code 38, Glasgow Hall, Room 312

[phone], DSN 756-3293

[e-mail]

Brief Overview

Strategy is concerned with the use of force in furtherance of political ends. The aim of curriculum 688 is to provide students with a thorough understanding of this relationship, and of the relationship of force to other means by which the ends of policy may be pursued. Graduates will possess a comprehensive knowledge of U.S. defense policy and military strategy. They will have the ability to develop and coordinate national and military strategy; to develop concepts and plans to employ military forces at the national and theater levels; to write strategic and operational-level vision and guidance documents; and to formulate and coordinate the employment of all dimensions of military power to support the ends of American policy.

 

Courses conveying Phase I JPME certification, as well as selected U.S. Marine Corps PME courses, are available to NSA students while in residence at NPS. JPME courses are taught by the Naval War College satellite program, which is described elsewhere in this Catalogue.

Satisfactory completion of the four-course Naval War College JPME sequence is required for Navy officers in Curriculum 688.

APC

The minimum APC requirement for entry to this program is 265.

Convenes

Students may enter in any quarter. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for quarterly start dates.

Program Length

The program of study lasts five-quarters (15-months) and students may begin in any academic quarter. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for quarterly start dates.

Degree

Master of Arts in Security Studies (Strategy and Policy)

Subspecialty

Navy P-Codes: 2301

Curriculum Requirements

Curriculum 688 is comprised of required core courses and curricular electives. Core requirements are spelled out below. Curricular electives are identified in the NSA annual Teaching Plan, which is available at https://nps.edu/web/nsa/courses. Core courses and curricular electives combined must total twelve for Navy officers, thirteen for all others. At least three must be taught at the 4000 level.

In addition, students are expected to take sufficient general electives to maintain a full-time course load (16 hours per quarter). Because Navy officers in curriculum 688 are required to take the four JPME courses taught by the Naval War College satellite program, their programs of study do not afford space for general electives. Others may choose general electives freely from all courses offered at NPS.

All students in curriculum 688 must write a Master’s thesis. The first step is completion of NS4080, Thesis Proposal, no later than six months prior to intended graduation. NS4080 does not count as one of the 4000-level courses required above. Thereafter students may enroll in NS0810, Thesis Research, up to three times; or, with the permission of the Academic Associate, they may take additional curricular electives.

Students in curriculum 688 must complete eight core courses:

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS3005	Great Power Conflict in Modern History		4	0
NS3011	Research and Writing for National Security Affairs		4	0
NS3023	Introduction to Comparative Politics		4	0
NS3024	Introduction to International Relations		4	0
NS3030	American National Security Policy		4	0
NS3230	Innovation and Adaptation in the Military		4	0
NS4256	Maritime Strategy		4	0
NS4990	Seminar in Strategic Studies		4	0

Educational Skill Requirements (ESR)

1. Basic Graduate Level Skills
   1. Conduct Research: Assemble information from the full range of data sources to understand international political, economic, and military issues.
   2. Analyze Problems and Demonstrate Critical Thinking: Frame issues as research questions; logically combine evidence and theory to analyze and explain international political, economic, and military developments; and formulate innovative solutions to strategic problems.
   3. Communicate Information: Clearly summarize large quantities of information and persuasively present positions and courses of action using a broad range of verbal and written communications formats, including short oral arguments, visual briefs, policy memos, position papers, and comprehensive student theses.
2. General Political Science, International Relations, and Security Studies
   1. Great Power Competition:  Analyze the factors shaping the new era of increasing geopolitical competition among the major powers.  Understand Chinese and Russian activities and potential U.S. responses across all dimensions of power, including diplomacy, economic competition, influence campaigns, and traditional military force. 
      
   2. International and Comparative Politics: Understand international relations theories, including realist, liberal, and cultural paradigms; the conditions and world views that shape state interactions in the international system; the history of modern nationalism and the state system; and the roles of domestic politics, non-state actors, and transnational social movements in shaping international politics.
      
   3. International Economy: Understand the economic factors that shape the international security environment, including the economic dimensions of national security policy and the ways in which economic policies and interests affect military strategy and force structure.
   4. International and Military History: Grasp the principal causes of war in the modern era, and understand the political, technological, economic, and other influences that have governed its conduct; understand the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that have contributed to periods of stable peace; and analyze relations between states, including negotiations of peace settlements, military alliances, arms limitation agreements, economic arrangements, and human rights accords.
   5. International Organizations: Understand the history of international organizations and their role in world politics, including international mediation and negotiations, formal and informal security arrangements, treaty regimes, and the role of international institutions and non-governmental organizations in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
   6. U.S. Security Policy and Strategy:  Understand how U.S. national security policy and strategy are formulated. Understand the roles of nuclear forces in the security policies of the United States and other nuclear powers; U.S. nuclear force acquisition, planning, deterrence policy, and employment concepts from the Second World War to the present; and the role of nuclear weapons in alliance politics and international relations. 
3. U.S. National Security, Defense, and Military Strategy
   1. U.S. National Security Policy: Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of US national security policy, military history, and defense, military, and naval strategy.
   2. International Environment: Assess the international strategic environment, analyze the factors shaping increasing great power competition, have knowledge of politico-military affairs, and understand the inner workings of the highest levels of government. Draw policy-relevant conclusions and formulate actionable recommendations.
   3. Strategic plans and policy: Demonstrate ability to write strategic-to-operational-level vision and guidance documents calculated to relate the ends of policy to the ways and means of strategic action. Understand the relationship of DIME elements to naval power and joint and maritime strategy. Differentiate and define Service, COCOM, and Naval Component Command roles at the national and theater levels.
   4. Strategic Theory and Concepts: Demonstrate ability to evolve concepts and strategy to employ forces at the national and theater levels. Understand how joint and maritime forces may influence the future global security environment. Develop strategic- and theater-level concepts of operations based on higher-level policies and strategies.
   5. Coalitions and Alliance Politics: Analyze the principal alliances and international organizations that shape the current security environment, including their role in U.S. national strategy, coalition building, and military missions from peace operations to major wars.
   6. Regional Security: Understand the basic security dynamics of at least two major world regions.
   7. Joint Professional Military Education: Satisfactory completion of JPME Phase I.