Goldstone, Jack A.German, Keith2015-07-292015-07-292015https://hdl.handle.net/1920/9684National security experts argue that comprehensive reform of the US national security system (NSS) is required to overcome the low levels of interagency interaction that impede the system's ability to effectively address complex national security issues. There have been numerous recent efforts to increase the level of interagency interaction in the US NSS. Given the wide range of entrenched obstacles to interagency interaction, it is not surprising that assessments of recent efforts suggest success will require either an unacceptably long time or a unifying catastrophic failure. Most studies of the US NSS, and most efforts to improve the system, have focused on either leadership of the US NSS or individuals in the upper echelons of the national security departments. This study complements those efforts by using a case study of the system's middle echelon officers to improve understanding of interagency interaction and the challenges of increasing the level of interagency interaction in the US NSS, and to fill a gap in the literature.344 pagesenCopyright 2015 Keith GermanPublic policyOrganization theoryCollaborationInteragency interactionMiddle echelon officersNational securityOrganizational changeReformDissertation