本研究將嘗試以拉斯威爾（Harold D. Lasswell）所提出的要塞國家（Garrison State）概念、林勃龍（Charles E. Lindblom）在政策制定上所提出的漸進模式、與日益興起論述分析等三種既有的學理，來理解我國國防政策的持續與變遷。要塞國家概念中，認為國家安全是現代政府得隨時注意的課題，但所需的專業知識容易使之成為行政部門技術官僚獨佔的領域，決策者難以置喙。漸進模式認為，政策制定多受以往政策與決策環境的限制，而常得承襲以往的傳統。論述分析，則探討政策制定的過程中，執政者抑或論述霸權者如何將其理念、利益灌注其中。這三種學理將能解釋自1996年至2000年李登輝政府時期，經2000年至2008年陳水扁政府時期，乃至2008至2012馬英九政府時期，我國國防政策在實質上的延續與言詞上的變遷。 This study attempts to understand the continuities and changes in ROC’s national defense policy through three theoretical prespectives, namely, Garrison State, incremental model, discourse analysis. Defence policy making is dominated by experts and technitiants while political leaders have little role. Policy-making is also limited by the past, and therefore, only incremental adjustments are possible. At the same time, Ruling authorities try to impose their interets in to policy discourse. These three perspectives jointly can explaine the continuities in actual defense policy and the changes in policy discourses throughout the Lee Teng-hui period (1996-2000), the Chen Shui-Bian period (2000 -2008), and the Ma Ying-jeou period (2008-2012).
