US Inter-Agency Unity of Effort in Stability Operations: Ad hoc Solutions for Recurring Problems
Abstract
The synchronization between US military and US civilian agencies during stability operations has proved problematic during past and present conflicts. While there has been an acknowledgment by the US government and US military of the importance of unity of effort, the current organizational structure present during stability operations is inadequate to achieve a unified effort and the United States has relied on ad-hoc structures to compensate. Counterinsurgency theory and US military doctrine both emphasize the importance of unity of effort during stability operations, but solutions like the National Security Council have failed to solve the ongoing problem. The Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development (CORDS) structure during the Vietnam War and the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) structure during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan pose two ad-hoc models developed during stability operations in an attempt to unify the civilian and military efforts. Both cases provide frameworks illustrating positive and negative practices, and the dangers of relying solely on ad-hoc organizations to solve institutional organizational problems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1083230
Entities
People
- Stephen Jr M. Cowne
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College