Interagency Cooperation: PDD 56 and Complex Contingency Operations
Abstract
Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 56, "Managing Complex Contingency Operations," mandates reform in the joint/interagency coordination process. It recognizes that the United States will continue to conduct complex contingency operations (CCOs). Greater coordination is required to appropriately bring all instruments of national power to bear on all such operations. Those who have served in these operations can attest to the friction and failure caused by poor planning and the lack of interagency coordination. Although PDD 56 takes a significant step toward incorporating planning mechanisms to achieve unity of effort, the program is in its infancy and in some aspects falls short of the President's intent. Following the Cold War the internal collapse of weak nations often unleashed destabilizing forces with the potential to spread to neighboring states. Refugee movements, ethnic and political unrest, organized crime, and other crises (i.e., disease, famine, and human rights abuses) occurred with such an intensity and frequency that the United States was unprepared to handle them. As a result, the country developed a different approach. President Clinton directed an interagency review of peacekeeping policies, programs, and procedures to establish a comprehensive policy framework to address post-Cold War realities. Completed in 1994, the review led to the issuance of PDD 25 on the reform of multilateral peace operations. PDD 25 established instructions for peace operations and focused attention on the need for improved dialog and decision making among governmental agencies. It laid the basis for PDD 56, which institutionalized policies and procedures on managing complex crises. This article argues that the crises in Serbia, Somalia, Haiti, and Kosovo provide compelling arguments for expanding PDD 56 to include combat operations. PDD 56 should be expanded to govern interagency coordination for combat as well as peace operations. (5 photographs)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA426800
Entities
People
- Jerry G. Kline
- William P. Hamblet
Organizations
- National Defense University