The Commander's Emergency Response Program

Abstract

With the rapid and synchronized operations to reach Baghdad and Kabul now history, U.S. joint task forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are in what John Keegan calls "the small change of soldiering." The metaphor is apt. For some commanders, such unorthodox operations do not fulfill a warrior's calling. Yet these dangerous missions can exceed conventional battles in terms of time, life, blood, and national treasure. Remaining hostile elements are smaller and more difficult to identify and defang. The time span of conflict now depends on how long it will take to grow Iraqi and Afghan institutions of self-government and security, while potential battlefields extend to wherever the Fedayeen, the Taliban, or al Qaeda may be hiding. The current phase must be about winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi and Afghan people. As stated in Joint Publication 3-0, Doctrine for Joint Operations, military combat operations must give way to "civilian dominance as the threat wanes and civil infrastructures are reestablished."

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA523853

Entities

People

  • Mark S. Martins

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Defense
  • Emergencies
  • Emergency Response
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Infrastructure
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Law
  • Military Equipment
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • Task Forces
  • Terrorists
  • Training

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.