Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations

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Welcome to the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations

“You must understand that few of the problems of our time have…been solved by military power alone.”
- John F. Kennedy

This is why we need a CMO-focused center at West Point

2LT Todd Donaldson, a platoon leader from the 82nd Airborne Division, directs his platoon to provide site security and crowd control as Secours Islamique France distributes food aid in Port-au-Prince, Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake. 2LT Donaldson also had to work with CA/PSYOPS resources, UN World Food Program personnel, community leaders, and the local populace to successfully complete this mission. Platoon members admitted they were initially unprepared to work with the diversity of actors involved, but were able to adapt their mission over time by drawing upon experience and resourcefulness within the platoon. 2LT Donaldson said his previous PME had not prepared him for this mission.

Vision

Developing junior officers (Cadets) and rotating officers (faculty) through:

A broad and inclusive inter-disciplinary effort that develops Cadets’ understanding of how to integrate and leverage all the assets at their disposal to achieve military and national security objectives;
Direct application and growth of intellectual capital through outbound experiences (Civil Affairs, US governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other implementing partners);
Rapid sharing of knowledge and lessons-learned with junior leaders in the field;
Dedicated research by faculty and Cadets involving CMO and inter-agency cooperation in the application of full-spectrum operations.

Vision – Beyond West Point

Contribute to a transformational change in the way that the US Government achieves its national security objectives by:

Building connections across government leader networks that yield permanent and lasting commitments to interagency cooperation;
Developing military leaders at the junior officer and field grade officer levels who can integrate a better understanding of CMO in kinetic and non- kinetic situations;
Assisting the effort to incorporate CMO into Professional Military Education at the premiere educational institutions for the DoD and DoS.

Outcomes

All West Point leaders are prepared to capitalize on their understanding of Civil-Military Operations within the framework of the broad spectrum of challenges they will face in military service
West Point facilitates transformational changes to PME across DoD and interested USG activities
West Point established as the wellspring of PME in the realm of CMO

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