Missing Link: Post-Conflict Doctrine for the Common Man

摘要

This paper examines the reasons why the U.S. military has difficulties in post-conflict operations. In light of swift and stunning military victories, it seems inconsistent that the goals of self-sustaining peace and rule of law cannot be more efficiently established. While U.S. combat skills have become more proficient and dominant, America continues to struggle to reap the benefit of its military victories. This paper argues that joint doctrine emphasizes the planning and execution of major combat operations at the expense of post-conflict actions. Doctrine orients around the fundamental purpose of winning the war, not the peace. This focus has impeded the development of necessary doctrine to guide the transition from combat to peace. The author concludes that the range of military operations impedes adequate planning for post-conflict operations. In its place, he proposes a continuum of conflict that removes the dividing line between war and Military Operations Other Than War, and integrates a visual representation of the requirement of civilian coordination and interaction. Specific doctrine needs to be developed that focuses on post-conflict operations.