Civilian Response Corps

Smart Power In Action

 

Message from the Coordinator

Ambassador Rick Barton

Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization

The U.S. Department of State's Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization leads the development of U.S. government civilian capacity to promote conflict prevention and stabilization in countries on the brink of, in, or emerging from crisis. The Coordinator oversees the Civilian Response Corps.

In the 21st century, weak governance, political conflict, and internal violence in countries around the world have become central security challenges for the United States. To address the political and economic factors that lead to instability and partner with countries seeking to address these issues, we created the Civilian Response Corps, a partnership of nine U.S. government agencies.

The Corps provides expertise in conflict prevention and stabilization to address these problems systematically. It is made up of specially trained civilians from across the U.S. government who deploy rapidly to help countries mitigate conflict. The Corps provides a surge in civilian power at more than two dozen posts overseas, including national security priorities such as Afghanistan and Sudan. We are diplomats, development specialists, public health officials, law enforcement and corrections officers, engineers, economists, lawyers, and others who help fragile states restore stability and achieve economic recovery.

This expeditionary diplomacy represents a new approach to fragile, conflict-prone countries. It also represents a view of the future of U.S. foreign policy, using civilian power from the entire U.S. government to assist U.S. embassies in their efforts to help fragile states. The Secretary of State’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review recommends a greater commitment to these civilian efforts.
While we provide a new approach, we must not forget the central purpose of our work: to help countries facing conflict find and implement their own solutions, and to advance America’s core interests: security, prosperity, universal values of democracy and human rights, and a just international order.

I thank Civilian Response Corps members for their dedication to the security of our country, and I strongly encourage those of you considering membership to learn more about our approach to conflict prevention and stabilization.

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