National Security Mom: Why "Going Soft" Will Make America Strong

by Gina M. Bennett

"National Security Mom" offers the basics of current terrorism trends and national security policymaking from a parent's perspective. Written by a mother of five and 20-year veteran of counterterrorism in the US Intelligence Community, this book de-mystifies the underworld of terrorism and offers a unique comparison of how the super-secret intelligence approach to securing our nation is surprisingly similar to how parents secure their homes and families. By comparing the expertise parents gain while running their households to the skills required to govern, "National Security Mom" empowers America's parents to engage with confidence in the public national security debate. The simple premise, that everything we need to know about securing our nation we have learned from our family life, offers hope that no matter what security challenges America faces, our nation will be proud and secure. We need only follow the guidance we give our children, such as "clean up your own mess," "tell the truth," and "don't give in to a bully," to ensure our nation's welfare. Moms know that the most important lessons they teach their children will last a lifetime. Who better to entrust the security of our nation than mothers?

Genres: Nonfiction

180 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2008

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a politically-aware conservative, I enjoy stories about our national security, and reading a book relating that to parenting sounded riveting.

Gina Bennett, the author, is a mother of five and a Senior Counterterrorism Analyst for the state department. She wrote a 1993 report foreshadowing the danger of Osama bin Laden and his movement.

Lest this frighten you off, the book is very easy to read (and quick; you could read it in a sitting). Bennett basically takes lessons she would like to teach her children, and suggests that the US should use these in combating terrorism.

What lessons are we talking about here?

Time-outs do not solve everything

Actions speak louder than words

Life is not a fairy tale

Choose your friends wisely

Learn from your mistakes

…and so on.

I have to admit that at times, the advice seemed simplistic: “… if we refuse to give up, people like Osama bin Laden would become as insignificant as the schoolyard bully eventually becomes to our kids.” I’d like to believe this is so, but I’m skeptical.

Overall, Bennett strikes a non-partisan tone. But again, the uh-oh-this-sounds-liberal radar in me starts to go off when I read passages like this: “Americans are jaded by the recent past and less trustful of their government these days. We question what we were told about the reasons we went to war in Iraq …”

Or, “Like many parents, I would like to see more attention spent on solving core challenges that face our nation: the economy, health care, education…” These sound like they could have come right out of Barack Obama’s speeches, so I suppose soon we’ll see the results of doing just that.

I don’t want to sound negative on the book overall. I enjoyed Mrs. Bennett’s personal story and the parts where she talks about life with her five children. My favorite chapter was probably “If you make a mess, clean it up” where she talks about the complexities of the current situation in Iraq.

Bennett closes with a call for moms to become more active in public life. She proposes that the issues facing our nation are similar to those facing states, and in turn cities, and in turn school boards, and … you get the idea. I was reminded of Sarah Palin beginning her political career by running for city council. Then I thought of the trashing Palin endured in the press, and wondered if it would be worth my mental health to run for anything (I should mention that I’m currently on our subdivision’s board, and the red tape/long meetings/lack of progress related to that have convinced me that I’m not interested in pursuing anything more in the way of governing. It’s frustrating because good people do need to be involved in public life, but would they WANT to?).

[Matthew McCready · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts strong with clear connections between running a family and running the country. By the end, however, some of the connections were stretched thin.

This book is already dated. This helped a bit because Gina Bennett saw trouble coming years before 9/11. I remember the things she connected to later events.

By the end, I felt she had made a commitment to connect her knowledge gained through covert intelligence and the results of the U.S. response with managing a family with five children. It works clearly for the first few chapters.

[Tracey Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited too long to read my friend's book. I bought it to be supportive, but thought "mothering" wasn't interesting. SO engaging, definitely different than I expected. Distinctive perspective and original outlook. Going to reread to make sure I didn't miss something.

[Elevate Difference · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gina Bennett has worked as a Senior Terrorism Analyst for the US Intelligence Community for twenty years. She is also the mother of five children. If anyone should be able to discuss the subject of terrorism intelligently, it is certainly Bennett. Before I read National Security Mom, I was hoping she would be able to shed some light on the subject of US national security and the growing threat of terrorism in a way that I could understand. And, as excited as I was to read her work, I couldn’t help but wonder—as a mother, a grandmother, and a widow—how “going soft” could or would make America strong.

Bennett’s honesty and knowledge as a career member of the Intelligence Community and gentle understanding as a mother meld together in a way that makes terrorism understandable and less fearful. She cleverly combines her years of parenting with her years of government service to create a heartfelt and extremely insightful way of making America strong. I was amazed at the manner in which she wove together her daily life and related basic parenting philosophies as a means to explain how we as a nation should and could deal with terrorism.

Bennett’s work is easy to read because her ideas and logic flow smoothly. They lead you in understanding her basic premise, which is that we can deal with terrorism using the same basic parenting skills that our grandmothers used, that our mothers used, and mothers today use every day. Tough talk isn’t the answer—basic logic, principles, and understanding are. In fact, it is so simplistic that one wonders why the country isn’t taking this approach right now.

The titles of the chapters alone should peak your interest: "An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure," "Timeouts Do Not Solve Everything," "Scrapbooking is a Requirement," "Tell the Truth," "Don’t Give in to a Bully," "Choose Your Friends Wisely," "The Strength of a Nation Derives from the Integrity of the Home," and "A Man’s Work is from Sun to Sun, but a Mother’s Work is Never Done." These titles demonstrate Bennett’s manner in approaching the subject of national security from a different point of view. She discusses the fact that the world expects “tough talk” when it comes to our national security and foreign policy. Without “tough talk” many feel that we will be considered weak or “soft.” Bennett is happy to be “soft” if it will help our nation with the ever present threat of terrorism.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading National Security Mom. It is comforting to know that there are people like Gina Bennett involved in government service. I feel certain that we will be hearing more from this amazing woman.

Review by Paula M. Ezop

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review isn't up yet, but it was a good book.