Emerging Patterns of American Civil-Military Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The role of the Department of Defense in sub-Saharan Africa has increased significantly since 200 I as evidenced by its increased presence, personnel, and programming. Overall, this increasing role takes place in relatively close proximity to other, ongoing civilian efforts. Given this increasing role, a qualitative review of the emerging patterns of American civil-military relations and how they affect planning and execution in sub-Saharan Africa is useful and timely. The methodology relies on the application of selected elements of civil-military theory to the theater strategic, operational and tactical levels. Such elements include issues of control, monitoring, information-sharing, civilian and military preferences, and strategic assessment. Recent applications of institutional theory to civil-military relations, particularly Peter Feaver's agency theory, which derives from the principal-agent theoretical framework, and Risa Brooks' recent work on the interface between strategic assessment and civil-military relations both provide relevant elements of civil-military relations for this purpose. Building on these efforts to bridge the gaps between theory and practice in American civil-military relations could enhance the discourse associated with civil-military issues, identify key issues, and formulate recommendations for improving operational planning and execution. Much of civil-military theory focuses on issues of civilian control at the highest level of decision-making (i.e., the principals) and often takes place in the context of planning for or executing military operations. However, the Department of Defense increasingly plays an important though decentralized role at the regional level through geographic combatant commands and emphasizes the importance of full-spectrum operations, including non-kinetic options.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 19, 2009
Accession Number
ADA526526

Entities

People

  • William Leavitt

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Employment
  • Failed States
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Public Administration
  • Terrorism
  • United States Africa Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.