American Resistance to Establishing a Standing Stability Operations Force
Abstract
The United States is currently involved in stability operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and will likely continue this involvement in the future. Currently, general-purpose forces, the majority of which are U.S. Army soldiers, conduct these operations. As of this writing, the U.S. Army has resisted establishing a standing, dedicated, stability operations force. Such a force would, at first glance, seem to be a logical progression of American military force structure, based upon current Department of Defense directives and publicly stated policy. This thesis will explore the reasons behind the lack of this force. It will analyze costs and benefits of a stability operations force with regards to military readiness, domestic politics, and international politics. It will also consider the role of organization inertia. Finally, it will recommend a workable framework for such a stability operations force, using the lessons learned from the analysis within this thesis, making the most of the advantages described and mitigating the costs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA531529
Entities
People
- Philip R. Gardner
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School