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- Multi-Domain Operations and Lessons from NSC 68 in the Competitive Space: A Framework for NATO and Western Democracies for Defence Against Russia

Multi-Domain Operations and Lessons from NSC 68 in the Competitive Space: A Framework for NATO and Western Democracies for Defence Against Russia
Tyler WesleyRUSI Journal, 5 October 2020
UK Integrated Review 2021, Defence Policy
Russia has pursued policies that blur the lines between peace and war. Weapons and enablers used in the five domains (maritime, air, land, space and cyber) have been transformed, leading to improved anti-access and area denial capabilities, as well as faster kinetic and non-kinetic operations. Such changes have occurred before Western democracies have been able to respond. NATO should close this gap by developing a framework for deterrence and containment within this competitive space. The Cold War United States Objectives and Programs for National Security (NSC 68) established goals for policy and promoted guidelines that both limited and authorised necessary acts that shaped an environment advantageous to Western democracies. Tyler Wesley argues that a new framework, inspired by examples drawn from NSC 68, is necessary.
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