​​​​​​​Defense enterprises are large entities. In fact, they are “very large public sector professional organizations” as described in the Defense Management Primer. This fact impacts how they are organized, and how they behave. The Department of Defense is the dominant entity in the U.S. defense enterprise, but it is not alone — the defense enterprise includes other government agencies, the defense industrial base, various patriotic organizations, state entities, and other who materially contribute to the defense mission. DoD alone is very large in size and the range and complexity of issues it encounters drives reliance on decision support systems and processes. Senior leaders use these systems and processes to help them make complex planning and resourcing decisions necessary to execute responsibilities derived from the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, National Military Strategy, and other strategic documents. As senior leaders, students need to know how to apply defense systems and processes so they can influence DoD resourcing decisions.

When senior leaders have to prioritize issues/initiatives and make difficult resource decisions, they are faced with the need to identify and manage the strategic risks associated with the policy or strategy initiatives they have chosen. Strategic Risk Management is a theme that will be addressed throughout the DM course, and it reflects the reality that most resource decisions are not only about what programs to fund or what capability to develop, they are about what programs NOT to fund and what capability NOT to develop. These choices always center on risk: where do leaders prioritize, where do they accept risk, and how do they mitigate that risk (if necessary)?

​​​​​​​Faculty Publications:

• Galvin, Thomas P. (ed.), Defense Management: Primer for Senior Leaders, 1st ed. (Carlisle, PA: Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, 2018), available from WAR ROOM — The Online Journal of the U.S. Army War College.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• Galvin, Thomas P. “Enterprise Readiness: Preparing for Crisis,” WAR ROOM, November 16, 2021, https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/enterprise-readiness/
• Yuengert, Lou and Tom Galvin, “How Should the Army (and DoD) Run?” How the Army Should Run (series), WAR ROOM, January 10, 2023, https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/hstar-1/

Commentaries (inclusion does not imply endorsement):

• Bucur-Marcu, Hari, Philipp Fluri, and Todar Tagarev (eds.). Defence Management: An Introduction (Geneva, Switzerland: Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, 2009).

Racks in this Aisle:

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Title image credit:  Jim Garamone​​​​​​​ via Defense.gov, public domain.