Whole of Government Approach to Irregular Warfare at the Embassy Level

摘要

The US Government's struggles in the current COIN battle have shed greater light into the seams of the interagency planning process. Dwindling finances, resources, and competing interests-- now more than ever-- necessitate a whole of government approach to addressing irregular warfare. Although numerous honest attempts have been made to provide a framework for a unity of action, all have fallen short of the mark. This paper examines the roots of insurgencies, the institutions and agencies that must leverage each other within a COIN struggle, sources of friction in the interagency, the laws and directives that guide this effort, and three approach models. Although each of the approach models is valid when applied with the proper scale and scope, this paper focuses on synergizing at the embassy level and how to best incorporate Department of Defense Special Operations Forces into the State Department's country team. This paper utilizes the problem solution method of evaluation. The problem is ad hoc planning efforts at the embassy level with regard to DoD SOF integration of capabilities. The solution examines three ways to plug a SOF liaison officer into the embassy's country team to effectively assist in planning an interagency effort to address a crisis.