Military policy

Military policy (also called defence policy or defense policy) is public policy dealing with international security and the military. It comprises the measures and initiatives that governments do or do not take in relation to decision-making and strategic goals, such as when and how to commit national armed forces.

The Military Policy is used to ensure retention of independence in national development, and alleviation of hardships imposed from hostile and aggressive external actors. The Defence Ministry (or a synonymous organisation) minister is the primary decision-maker for the national military policy.

Purpose

Military policy identifies threats of hostility and aggression based on intelligence analysis, and defines military scope of national security, defense alliances, combat readiness, military organisation of national forces and their use of military technology.

The national military policy defines the national defense strategy, the "when" of committing national armed forces. The national military policy also defines the strategic posture, the "how", towards any possible threats to national territory, its society, environment, and economy, and defines options available to deal with such threats. The more options a military policy provides to the government, the better it is considered in its formulation. Strategic posture in turn defines the military doctrine of the armed forces. This doctrine may include confronting threats to national interests located outside of the national territory such as shipping lanes. The defense strategy and military doctrine are developed though strategic policy and capability development processes.

National defense

National defense or national defence may refer to:

See also

National Defense (Poland)

National Defense (Polish: Obrona Narodowa, ON) was a volunteer military formation of the Second Polish Republic.

Its units (brigades and demi-brigades, divided into battalions) were subordinated to various Polish corps and armies.

National Defense is most commonly referred through its units (brigades - sing. Brygada Obrony Narodowej (Brygada ON) or battalions - sing. Batalion Obrony Narodowej (Batalion ON); the units were also named by the geographical region they were related to, and if more than one was formed, by Roman numerals, ex. Batalion ON "Lwów II")

National Defense units were composed of volunteers, some reservists and unemployed. They were equipped with second-grade weaponry, and their goal was to support defensive operations of the regular Polish Army. National Defense was created by an order of the Polish Minister of Defense on 5 December 1936; the brigades begun to be formed in 1937.

During the German invasion of Poland in 1939 National Defense mobilized 83 battalions (approximately 1600 officers and 50 000 soldiers).