Stability and Reconstruction Operations and the Accelerated Transformation of Three U.S. Government Agencies
Abstract
Recent stabilization and reconstruction operations have demonstrated the critical need for a U.S. interagency approach consisting of a clear and cohesive strategy that incorporates the essential elements of national power. In the complex battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in numerous other conflicts in recent history, the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have come together with the purpose of stabilizing and reconstructing war-torn countries. However, past and ongoing efforts have revealed major governmental shortfalls resulting from the government's ad hoc approach to the planning and execution of these operations. As a result of scant success in these operations and sharp Congressional and audit agency scrutiny, these agencies have embarked on an accelerated transformation. In the past few years, U.S. national level leadership has fully recognized the critical shortfalls and as a result has undertaken a number of initiatives to build the necessary government capacity. This paper will examine lessons learned from past operations and describe U.S. national level efforts to build capacity and effect change in all three agencies. The paper also will describe how these three agencies have addressed U.S. national guidance and established new structures and systems to create the necessary capacity to operate as an interagency enterprise.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA565253
Entities
People
- Maria Zumwalt
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin