| |  Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization"We must also improve the responsiveness of our government to help nations emerging from tyranny and war...and that means our government must be able to move quickly to provide needed assistance." [full text]
-- President Bush
Failing and post-conflict states pose one of the greatest national and international security challenges of our day, threatening vulnerable populations, their neighbors, our allies, and ourselves. On August 5, 2004, Secretary Powell announced the creation of the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) to enhance our nation's institutional capacity to respond to crises involving failing, failed, and post-conflict states and complex emergencies. Currently, John Herbst is Coordinator.
The Core Mission of S/CRS is to lead, coordinate and institutionalize U.S. Government civilian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict situations, and to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife, so they can reach a sustainable path toward peace, democracy and a market economy. For more information, please refer to the page About S/CRS.
S/CRS is also coordinating the launch of the Civilian Response Corps, a partnership of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Departments of State, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Treasury. In the 2008 Supplemental Appropriations Act, Congress provided up to $75 million in initial funding for the Active and Standby components of the Civilian Response Corps. For more information about the Civilian Response Corps, please read our fact sheet.
Essential Tasks Matrix
The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Essential Tasks Matrix is an important tool describing the full spectrum of tasks that might need to be performed by the international community in a post-conflict environment. This analytical framework was first developed and presented by CSIS and AUSA in the study Winning the Peace. | | | Highlights | Launch of the Civilian Response Corps of the United States of America (July 16) Secretary's Remarks | Video | Media Note | Fact Sheet | Contact CRS at scrs_info@state.gov .
Ambassador Herbst: "Regarding the first job of organizing the U.S. Government, we have created ... the Interagency Management System, which would be used in a stabilization crisis. This system ... ensures that all civilian agencies which have some role to play, participate in formulating a plan of operations." full text
[The] Civilian Reserve Corps ...would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. It would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.” -- President Bush, State of the Union Address, January 23, 2007 full text
National Security Strategy, March 2006 (P. 44 has ref to civilian reserve corps) White House Website
State Department Stands Up Active Response Corps Factsheet |
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