Intervention, Stabilization, and Transformation Operations: The Army's New Mission
Abstract
Recent military interventions in Haiti, Somalia, Iraq, and elsewhere confirm the axiom that it is possible to win every battle and yet still manage to lose a war. Although the United States has developed a method of warfare that can produce stunning battlefield victories, those battlefield victories do not necessarily accomplish the strategic objectives for which the war was fought. Contemporary U.S. strategy requires the Army to do more than fight and win in the traditional sense; it requires a force that can intervene in failed, failing, or rogue states; stabilize those states; and facilitate their transformation into productive members of the international community. The U.S. Army has a fundamental, perhaps decisive role in ensuring that battlefield victories are translated into strategic success. The central research question of this thesis is as follows: What should the Army do to improve its ability to conduct intervention, stabilization, and transformation operations? To help answer this question, the author examines the essential nature of this new mission and deduces the Army's proper role. He then analyzes the Army's deficiencies in performing that role, and makes recommendations to address those deficiencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 17, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA437025
Entities
People
- Timothy P. Leroux
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College