Writing the Playbook: A Strategy and Doctrine for American Economic Security
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a framework for economic statecraft, delivered to the Economic Club of New York and outlined in the Wall Street Journal, centered on five principles including national capacity, reciprocity, and financial leadership. In April, Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg formally established the Pentagon's Economic Defense Unit, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's National Security Economic Theory program aims to put geoeconomics on a more quantitative and rigorous theoretical footing. The article states that the doctrine to follow, which would guide the strategy's implementation, is yet to be developed.
Why it matters: The piece argues that economic statecraft now has a senior-level strategy but no implementation doctrine, leaving the coordination of executive, legislative, industry, and academic efforts unresolved.