Operationalizing the Coordination Mechanisms Between State and Department of Defense for Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations

Publisher Marketing: In the past decade, DoD has conducted the majority of US stabilization and reconstruction operations (SRO) due to an inability of other government agencies to deploy and integrate. In April 2004, President Bush approved a concept to institutionalize US civilian efforts under the Department of State called the Secretary's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). The primary question of this paper is whether coordination between S/CRS and DoD provides a new US government (USG) capability to translate policy into SRO down to the tactical level, for the near term. Recent literature provides criteria against which to evaluate the S/CRS-DoD model: synchronized policy and authority; institutionalized organization and manning; synchronized and flexible planning; integrated doctrine, training and exercises; and resources and interoperability that enable transition. This paper finds the S/CRS-DoD model strong on policy and planning, but insufficient on implementation. The USG must move forward on connecting many outlying organizations and national security structures to continue the momentum towards a true USG capability. Additionally, a critical gap exists in understanding of this topic between the strategic and operational/tactical levels. If the USG wants this model to succeed, doctrine, education, and training across the spectrum of stabilization and reconstruction operators should become a top priority.