The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is the Department of Defense’s lead organization for defense strategy and policy. At its core, Policy’s responsibility is to ensure that the political goals of the nation are expressed in, and the interests of the nation advanced by, the activities of the Department. This obligation to ensure the political object is appropriately represented ranges all the way from peacetime presence through matters of defense strategy through to the conduct of war. In an era of great power rivalry, this function has once again taken on the most profound importance.