Best Practices Guide for Conducting Assessments in Counterinsurgencies
Abstract
This guide provides practical advice to assessment strategy planners and practitioners. It aims to fill the gap between instructions provided in handbooks and field manuals, and the challenges faced when adapting these instructions to specific operations. Its purpose is to complement, not replace, the more detailed planning or instructional documents. Wherever possible, the articles in this guide provide references to more detailed assessment planning documents. It also makes reference to some of the specific needs of the implementation of the Transition (Inteqal) process in Afghanistan. The guide includes 20 articles that address the most prominent issues assessment teams face in the field. The articles broadly address the assessment philosophy (Part One) or assessment method (Part Two). The assessment philosophy articles seek to clarify assessment's purpose and objectives. By reminding practitioners of how their assessments can be used to influence the overall campaign strategy, it becomes easier to make the right choices between sources and methods. It also helps practitioners understand how to build and communicate an assessment that will influence strategic decisions. The method-oriented articles are more tactical in nature. These methods will be familiar to most practitioners and do not include many examples of groundbreaking innovations. But knowledge of proper methods is no guarantee of their effective application. In practice, we often do not remember to use these methods, or do not apply them in a creative fashion. In the demanding, complex, and time-sensitive world of assessment, we rush to deliver a product, but may not realize that we are not delivering the right product. Part Two highlights some of the most common assessment pitfalls, reminds us of some fundamentals, and offers creative means for dealing with intransigent players or intractable obstacles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 17, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA548599
Entities
People
- Dave Larivee
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy