Heroic Amateurs - The US Military in Stability Operations

摘要

With the importance of unstable regions now raised to the level of a peer competitor by our National Security Strategy and the task of DoDD 3000.05 to assume stability operations as a core mission, serious study and change to our military must occur. The first effort must be made in treating the subject appropriately in joint doctrine. The concept must be framed in a way that ideas can be associated precisely for further study and so that optimal organization, equipping, and training may be pursued. The assets required for successful stability operations cover the spectrum. The largest requirement generally for a stability operation will be security. Current formation can compel a basic security but fall short of that created by a police force. The combat formation can handle a heavily armed threat, but not the threat of criminal activity that is essential to the target nation population. If the force does not get larger, the current units must assume a wider range of skills. Other non-traditional military skills must be added to the force to assist in fostering national governance in failed states. The military education and training process has proven to be extremely agile, but it is currently held back by the lack of doctrine and the hesitance to optimize organizations to best handle stability operations. Until the issues are solved the military personnel employed in stability operations will continue to be heroic amateurs.