Stability Operations: From Policy to Practice

Abstract

The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United States of America led to a number of bureaucratic and policy changes. In 2004, the Department of State established the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). It was charged with coordinating the Nations post-conflict and stabilization efforts. In 2005, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) created an Office of Military Affairs. Its mission was to serve as the agencys focal point for civilian-military planning and interaction with the Department of Defense (DOD) and foreign militaries. On November 28, 2005, DOD published Directive 3000.05, which established stability operations as a core U.S. military mission with the same priority as combat operations. Over the next few years, DOD also issued new military doctrine Field Manual (FM) 324, Counterinsurgency, and FM 307, Stability Operations. The latter defines stability operations as the various military missions, tasks, and activities conducted outside the United States in coordination with other instruments of national power to maintain or reestablish a safe, secure environment, provide essential government services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief.1 Complementing changing military doctrine, in 2009 the United States Institute of Peace and the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute offered a civilian perspective on reconstruction and stabilization operations with its Guiding Principles for Stabilization and Reconstruction.2 As with most doctrine, this document is broadly framed to give units flexibility in dynamic and complex environments. While useful at the strategic level, Guiding Principles does not help field practitioners beyond the theoretical understanding of counterinsurgency or stabilization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2011
Accession Number
AD1042709

Entities

People

  • James W. Derleth
  • Jason S. Alexander

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Computer Programming
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Local Governments
  • Military Doctrine
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Nongovernmental Organizations
  • Security
  • Stability Operations
  • Terrorists
  • Training
  • United States

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.