1. Lutes, Charles D., Col (sel) and Vautrinot, Suzanne M., Col (sel) (Abstract Subject Terms Report Classification unclassified Classification of this page unclassified Classification of Abstract unclassified Limitation of Abstract UU Number of Pages Can decision-makers determine whether the timing is favorable before pursuing a specific course of action in implementing a national security program, particularly an innovation that requires simultaneous changes in technology, organization, strategy and policy? National security innovators have no problem inventing a "very clever pudding," but knowing when the pudding will be cooked becomes a more difficult task. To answer such a question, this paper develops the Lens Framework: a tool for analyzing the myriad of players and issues that color and shape the decision-making landscape. At the heart of this framework is the idea that, in an environment of constrained and competing resources, the decision to expend intellectual and fiscal capital to push a program forward must be accompanied by a predictive assessment of whether the program has the requisite consensus for success. This assessment is most difficult when the program requires fundamental changes in government institutions, policy, and technology; specifically, when it is a national security innovation. A national security innovation brings with it numerous stakeholders and networks of stakeholders. Each stakeholder, through unique reference frames or lenses, views and magnifies the issues surrounding the program. In accounting for these reference frames, the Lens Framework enables the analyst to more fully evaluate a national security innovation decision and offers a method to help predict whether a particular program is ready to take center stage. While certainly not a new idea, the 21 st century does offer new technologies that facilitate a predictive assessment that may have simply been too difficult or time-consuming in the past. This framework relies in large part on the Internet as a research tool to analyze the lenses through which key stakeholders will view the program and its attendant issues. ii The Lens Framework is a simple and effective tool for analyzing the supportability of a national security innovation at a static decision point. It is a systematic approach that can be used by congressional staffers, military planners, business strategists, and the like; in other words, the people on the front lines who deal with the program on a daily basis. To outline the framework, this paper makes a cursory review of the theories and models used in its development, and provides relevant historical examples. It then presents a series of analytical steps designed to broaden the view of the stakeholders and subordinate issues surrounding a national security innovation. The essential elements of the Lens Framework include: • Stakeholder analysis: identifies individuals or organizations that seek to influence, or are influenced by, a policy decision on the innovation under consideration. • Subordinate issu...