Achieving Operational Unity of Effort in SSTR; Research paper

摘要

The challenges of recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq combined with an increasingly unstable security environment highlight the increased need for organizations to effectively conduct Security, Stability, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations. As the primary agency for national security, the Department of Defense (DoD) must develop and implement structural command and control changes that take into account the critical nature of SSTR operations. U.S. Government (USG) leadership and interagency members have acknowledged the importance of SSTR operations, and that acknowledgement is codified in National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 44. The recently published 'Military SSTR Operations Joint Operating Concept' (JOC) outlines key trends in today's strategic environment that will undoubtedly impact the frequency and character of future conflict. These trends nearly guarantee that SSTR operations will play a far greater role in the success or failure of U.S. forces in future conflicts. The security trends outlined in the SSTR JOC include a continued presence of failed or failing states, a rise in ethnic and religious rivalries, vast and rapid urbanization, globally networked media, and rapid technology diffusion. These trends demand that the whole of the USG continue to address the need for greater interagency unity of effort across the spectrum of conflict. The attempts of NSPD-44 to increase unity of effort at the strategic level have met with some success, but have uncovered more challenges. These challenges materialize more prominently at the Operational level of war. Operational Joint Task Force (JTF) commanders take strategic directives and translate them into operational guidance for tactical implementation. Critical to the improvement of SSTR operations is providing unity of effort at the JTF level through the creation of a permanent senior leadership position, such as Deputy Commander for SSTR.