NDU 6007: TRANSFORMING
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FOR STABILIZATION OPERATIONS
Course Description
The U.S. system for promoting stabilization after complex contingencies
is broken. This course focuses on what actions might be taken to
fix it. It draws a distinction between stabilization activities
on the one hand, and long-term development and nation-building on
the other, as it attempts to define stabilization and what actions
and types of expertise are needed to achieve it. It examines the
expertise and resources available at U.S. civilian agencies, explores
the cultural, bureaucratic, budgetary, and legal obstacles to harnessing
those resources, and discusses ways to overcome the obstacles. It
examines the expertise and resources of the military and how responsibilities
between the military and civilian agencies might be divided.
The course will also explore other aspects of improving U.S. capacities
for stabilization operations, including building multinational partnerships,
institutionalizing pre-operational planning, and encouraging private
sector participation. Reading assignments will include recent proposals
by Congress, the U.S. government, think tanks, and individual experts
to increase U.S. capacities for stabilization and improve interagency
and multinational coordination.
A lively debate is currently taking place on whether and, if so,
how, the U.S. government should reorganize itself to address stability
operations. Congress is considering legislation (the “Lugar-Biden”
bill). The Defense Department will address the issue in the Quadrennial
Defense Review, to be released in early 2006. The State Department
has created a new office to handle stability operations. Other departments,
such as the Agency for International Development and Treasury, have
begun to reorganize themselves for stability operations. Is this
enough? What role should the National Security Council play? Who
should be responsible for overall coordination? Do we need a civilian
reserve corps made up of political, economic, and infrastructure
experts who would be ready to deploy to a post-conflict setting?
If so, how would it be organized, who would run it, and who would
pay for it? Does the civilian interagency system need an overhaul
similar the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act that reorganized the military?
This course will address these controversial issues as well as other
ideas recently put forth to reform the interagency system.
Course Objectives
- Understand how the U.S. military and civilian agencies are currently
organized for stability operations; how stability operations have
been conducted in the past; what are the core competencies of
the major civilian agencies, including State, AID, Treasury, Justice,
Commerce, Labor, Homeland Security, Energy, Education, and others;
and what is the role of the National Security Council.
- Define stabilization and what activities and expertise are
needed to achieve it.
- Explore the hurdles to increasing civilian agency involvement
in stability operations and how to overcome those hurdles.
- Analyze briefly the recent history of multinational participation
in stability operations and explore ways to increase incentives
for other countries to participate.
- Contribute to the ongoing debate by proposing reforms to the
interagency system for stability operations.
Course Methodology
The course will combine readings, lectures, guest speaker presentations,
and strong participation by the students in promoting a vigorous
dialogue on this ongoing debate. Students will need to come well
prepared to each session. They should be willing to express their
own views and to add their experiences and insights to the classroom
discussion of reform proposals.
Course Requirements
In addition to participating in the classroom and reading the material,
students will be expected to prepare a short analytical paper on
a key aspect of a stabilization operation that the United States
has been involved in over the last century. Students will also be
asked to choose a civilian agency, such as Treasury or Justice,
and report on how that agency could contribute to stabilization
operations. Students will be expected to develop their own proposals
for improving U.S. capacities for stabilization operations.
Reading List
Faculty
Mr. Bernard Carreau
Senior Fellow
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