The United States faces a major challenge today to create a coherent and comprehensive energy policy that accommodates and coordinates, where possible, domestic and foreign policy priorities and objectives in an effective manner. In this context, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations cosponsored an independent Task Force to define a U.S. strategic national energy policy. The published report of this Task Force, Strategic Energy Policy: Challenges for the 21st Century, defines the energy problems facing the United States today and outlines findings and recommendations for the creation of a strategic energy initiative. The Task Force Report balances rising world energy requirements, energy infrastructure constraints, environmental concerns, and domestic energy use challenges in a pragmatic way and discusses options and trade-offs for near term policy actions and long-term initiatives. Cosponsored by James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy or Rice University and The Council on Foreign Relations