Civilian Surge: Key to Complex Operations | A preliminary report by NDU

Flikr photo by lakerea used under a Creative Commons license. Attention on the war in Afghanistan remains focused on the military surge of 30,000 additional troops, yet this does not reflect the realization that success cannot be achieved through military means alone.  Recently, The National Defense University (NDU) released a preliminary report, Civilian Surge: Key to Complex Operations, which deals with the lack of adequate civilian capacity for stabilization and reconstruction operations.  Edited by Hans Binnendijk and Patrick M. Cronin, the study provides a framework for expanding civilian operations and creating new capabilities for civilian agencies to operate in ways that complement military efforts for counter-insurgency and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. As the report points out:

The imbalanced growth of military and civilian capabilities for complex operations in 2005–2008 caused several problems that underlined the call by DOD leaders for increased resources for their civilian counterparts. First, the imbalance created the impression internationally that American foreign policy was being “militarized.” Second, military personnel performed functions that civilian counterparts with greater training and reach-back to civilian agencies could perform much more effectively. Third, many in the military came to believe that only DOD is at war, not the Nation. Fourth, civilian voices in interagency policy discussions carried less weight because they lacked operational resources. Fifth, as a result, civilian agencies began to balk at the dominant role played by DOD. And sixth, as the prospect of future defense budget constraints became clearer, and ground forces focused almost exclusively on irregular warfare,2 some analysts grew concerned that inadequate attention was being paid to preparing for major combat operations.

[The report’s] main conclusion is that current efforts to build a civilian response capacity for complex operations are unfinished and that the Obama administration needs to dedicate additional attention and resources to complete the task.