This SSR Backgrounder is about the role of national security policies in good security sector governance (SSG). National security policies are high-level documents that establish the overarching priorities and values that guide state security provision, management and oversight. For this reason national security policies are also necessary for effective SSR. This backgrounder explains how formulating a national security policy can contribute to good SSG.

This SSR Backgrounder answers the following questions:

• What is a national security policy?
• How do national security policies contribute to good SSG?
• What are the main steps in formulating a national security policy?
• What are the key challenges in formulating a national security policy?How are national security policies linked to SSR?