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CISSM Global Forum | Resourcing the National Security Enterprise

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Mark Troutman and Sue Bryant

Dr. Susan Bryant is a COL (ret) US Army and the Executive Director of Strategic Education International

Dr. Mark Troutman is a COL (ret) US Army, Lecturer at the University of Maryland, and the Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Education International

Registration for this event is not required but is appreciated (for planning purposes). 

Event Description

Dr. Susan Bryant and Dr. Mark Troutman will discuss their new work, Resourcing the National Security Enterprise. This volume explores the obstacles impeding the integration of strategy and resourcing at the agency and the national levels in the United States, considers the underlying cultural and structural reasons for these impediments and provides practical recommendations for working within the system to address some of its more pressing problems. There is no current work that examines strategic resourcing at the national and departmental levels, as this subject falls within a disciplinary seam in academia. Economists write about economics; strategists write about strategy; acquisition professionals write about acquisition systems and budget directors insist budgeting is strategy.

This work is an edited volume, with chapters written by authors who have held significant positions of authority on both sides of the strategy/resourcing divide within the Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security; the Executive Office of the President (National Security Council, Council of Economic Advisers and Office of Management and Budget). All of them have “Seen the Strategy/Resourcing Elephant” from their perspective and have come to similar conclusions; currently there is no system or process that effectively reconciles national strategic ends with the available means.

As the United States government concludes two decades of war, it must simultaneously contend with two inescapable facts: first, US government spending is on an unsustainable trajectory; and second, the expanding realm of “national security issues” that require resources. This volume provides context and framing options for the difficult resourcing choices ahead.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Susan Bryant, COL (ret) US Army: Executive Director, Strategic Education International.

Susan is a  veteran of the United States Army having served  28 years on active duty, with more than 20 years in strategic level assignments. Her military assignments include: Senior Military Fellow, National Defense University, Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Programs and Assessments for the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and Palestine, Division Chief for the Strategy, Concepts and Doctrine Division on the Army Staff and Speechwriter for the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Susan is a 1989 graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Dr. Bryant’s education also  includes a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Yale University, a Master’s Degree in Operational Planning from Marine Corps University’s School of Advanced Warfighting and a Doctorate in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. She is also former Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, as well as a Columbia University Next Generation Fellow.

Her published works include Resourcing the National Security Enterprise (published by Cambria Press in 2022), Finding Ender: Exploring the Intersections of Creativity, Innovation and Talent Management in the U.S. Armed Forces and as a collaborating author of Military Strategy in the 21st Century: People, Connectivity and Competition, published by Cambria Press in 2018.

Mark Troutman, PhD, CFP®, COL (ret) US Army Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Education International.

Mark is an economic consultant, educator, and national security professional. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Education International, a non-profit consulting, research and education organization that provides results, thought leadership and executive education for strategic leaders.

Mark holds a PhD in Economics (Monetary and International Economics) from George Mason University, as well as a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.  He holds master’s degrees from the Army War College and the School of Advanced Military Studies. Mark’s professional certifications include Certified Financial Planner® and Certified Business Economist® (in progress) with qualifications in defense and technology exports. His published works include: Resourcing the National Security Enterprise (Cambria Press, 2022), contributing author to The Armed Forces Guide to Personal Finance (2nd Edition), numerous monographs and professional journal articles.

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