Intangibles in Strategic Thinking that Make a Difference

Ambiguity, chance and change:

As with all strategy, there is a need for homeland security practitioners to have the patience and judgment to deal with ambiguity and change.  Often it is essential to manage the issue with perseverance, since resolution often takes great time and patience.  Consider the following steps which make for effective decision making:

• When confronted with a homeland security issue, how should one proceed? 
• What are some of the threshold issues a strategist faces? 
• How does one learn to ask the right questions? 
• What assumptions can one make about the environment? 
• What constraints apply? 
• Can one act, should one act, MUST one act?
• If action must be taken, what controlling authorities apply?
  • Does the Constitution even address government action in this instance? 
  • Are there Statutes or court decisions that restrict the use of instruments or other actions? 
  • Are there policy considerations that make for inconsistencies? 
  • If all of the above questions are satisfied, then what instruments of the state shall be brought to bear and in what ways and for how long?

This calls for new thinking and a revised strategy which will undergo public and political pressures where new programs and policies will likely be unveiled.  The strategist’s answers to the above questions will make the difference between successes and failures, perhaps between conflict management and conflict resolution.  The urgent issue is how to define 'success' in preventing and protecting against terrorism, as well in all-hazards focused strategic efforts.