Interagency Cooperation: Comparing U.S. and the Netherlands

摘要

Current counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have made clear that interagency cooperation is essential. Both the US and the Netherlands have been trying to improve their interagency in recent years. This SRP provides a concise overview and assessment on both countries. current interagency cooperation at the strategic level followed by a comparison with a thematic focus on structure, resources, culture and leadership. This comparison makes clear that both countries have their differences but also best practices that might be mutual beneficial. The US' current interagency system has been institutionalized decades ago whilst the Netherlands' system has evolved incrementally in the last decade. The US has put a lot of emphasis on the structures within the system and currently there is a proposal to reform the whole National Security system. The Netherlands has put more emphasis on culture and leadership as a prerequisite for adequate interagency cooperation. This SRP argues, amongst other things, that it might be useful for the US to invest more in leadership and culture to make the structures work, whilst the Netherlands should put more effort into formalizing the structures.