Stability and Support Operations, Intervening Armed Forces and the Population They Serve: Defining a Doctrine

摘要

The armed forces of the countries often involved in Stability and Support Operations, for example the United States and France, have considered the need to build effective relationships with the local population. However, two shortfalls are evident: there is no overarching vision regarding how to deal with this relationship and the domains addressed such as Civil Affairs, Information Operation and Public Affairs do not encompass all the means to build an effective relationship. This monograph will study those relationships between the population and the armed forces, based on American and French experiences. Its purpose is to assess the real and perceived importance of the population in Stability and Support Operations. It evaluate if the creation of a completed body of doctrine in this area is justified and whether it might enable an armed force to take coherent action in regards to its relationship with the local population to successfully fulfill the mission.