Essential Services in Support of the Counterinsurgency during Operation Iraq Freedom

Abstract

Success in counterinsurgency operations is dependent to a good degree on how well a government in power or occupying force can provide essential services for the local populace. These services are a key element to building legitimacy of the government by restoring dignity to its citizens. The operational factors of time and force in delivering these services can be expressed by the window of opportunity that needs to be exploited in meeting public expectations as well as how the local populace is employed and treated during this mission. Operation Iraqi Freedom is a good case to both measure the Coalition Forces performance and to analyze how well the operational commander has adhered to several proposed imperatives for success. The paper also discusses some measures instituted after the initial Coalition Forces occupation to aid the operational commander. Finally, the paper offers recommendations to further enhance delivery of essential services and concludes that adapting these measures will positively impact on the success of the counterinsurgency in Iraq as a whole.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 23, 2006
Accession Number
ADA463686

Entities

People

  • Thomas C. Steffens

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Operations
  • Contracts
  • Counterinsurgency
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • Infrastructure
  • Iraqi-War
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Lessons Learned
  • Local Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Urban Areas
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Economics
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies