How We Can Win the Long War: A New Interagency Approach to the GWOT

摘要

This study outlines the problems with the current interagency process and recommends solutions. The world as changed dramatically since 11 September 2001. The United States (US) government and its citizens are faced with a global network of terrorist organizations determined to attain hegomy by subduing the US using asymetric insurgent tactics world-wide. The US national leaders both civilian and military have decided that this enemy can only be defeated by a global counterinsurgency strategy that utilizes all the instruments of national power through a coordinated interagency whole of government approach. This study evaluates the current interagency approach using successful counterinsurgent principles in David Galula's well respected book, Counterinsurgency Warfare Theory and Practice. This report reveals at the strategic level of the USG, the lack of an interagency doctrine and a single authorizative entity to implementation strategy. In addition, it finds that confusion at the regional level of USG leads to a lack of synchonization of effort which endangers the successful accomplish of the Global War on Terrorism. This study uses the problem/solution format to recommend the following solutions. First, the interagency should establish and promugate a doctrine that all departments must follow. The military has shown that a joint doctrine is essential to integrated operations and interoperability.