A Road Map from Conflict to Peace: A Discussion on the Army’s New Doctrine for Stability Operations and the Implications for For

Flickr photo by Army.mil, used under a Creative Commons License. Last Monday the Department of the Army released Field Manual (FM) 3-07 on Stability Operations.  In order to discuss the implications of FM 3-07 with some of its key contributors, the International Security Program at CSIS, along with PCR Project Co-Director Rick Barton, hosted an event on Tuesday, October 7.  On the panel were LTG William B. Caldwell IV, commander of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Ambassador John E. Herbst, Coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization at the Department of State; Ambassador Richard H. Solomon, President of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); Assistant Administrator Michael Hess, with the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); and Ambassador James Bishop, Vice President of Humanitarian Policy and Practice at InterAction.  The discussion was moderated by CSIS Senior Fellow with the International Security Program, Nate Freier.   The Stabilization Operations doctrine represents the Army’s recognition that fragile states and ungoverned spaces present a serious threat to U.S. national security.  In response to this realization, FM 3-07 presents a strategic framework for guiding stabilization and security operations based on the Army’s experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.  One of the key features of FM 3-07 is an emphasis on inter-agency cooperation between the U.S. Army, State Department, USIP, USAID, and InterAction, in order to utilize government agency expertise and lighten the burden on the U.S. armed forces. Video and Audio from the event can be found here. Rick Barton closed his remarks by presenting the other panelists with some pressing questions that are worth reiteration.  1.) What obstacles form the greatest barriers to good ideas moving forward? 2.) What is needed on the civilian side in terms of new capabilities and coordination to balance the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. military? 3.) Do we know enough about the places we are working in? How can analysis and anticipation measure progress more effectively? 4.) Is there clarity on who is in charge in these places? 5.) Is the American public on-board with the mission of stability operations? The answers to these questions are not immediate, nor are they black-and-white.  Fragile states and ungoverned spaces are grey zones where traditional tactics and standards of success may no longer apply.  FM 3-07 recognizes stability operations as a legitimate goal of military operations and in this regard represents a significant step in the right direction.