Whole of Government - The Search for a True Joint Interagency Approach to Military Operations

Abstract

The 21st century security environment poses challenges to military paradigms that have existed for generations. Events around the world demonstrate how military forces are increasingly assisting in a variety of civil crises and national emergencies using different methods and working with agencies with which there was limited or no interaction in the past. Joint and interagency operations are becoming the norm and an integral part of successful operations across the spectrum of conflict, and will continue into the near future. The ability of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to work across organizations, leveraging and promoting interoperability across the community has been the focus of an unprecedented effort to gain a truly "Whole of Government Approach" for over thirty years. The crux of whole of government operations lies in achieving interoperability between the highly-structured military organizations staffed by trained professionals and less-rigid civilian agencies focused around individual motivations. A look at the synthesis between the organizations involved within the Australian whole of government approach in comparison with the United States' unified action doctrine demonstrates an increased operational flexibility practiced by this relatively small organization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2008
Accession Number
ADA485610

Entities

People

  • Jason M. Hancock

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Iraqi-War
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).