Case Studies and Literature Review

To complete its comprehensive review of the civil affairs capacity in the Department of Defense, the CSIS study team developed four primary sources of information and analysis: historical case studies, an assessment of allied approaches to civil affairs, a review of existing civil affairs literature and materials such as DoD briefings and information papers, and a series of extensive interviews with members of the civil affairs community, non-governmental stakeholders, military services and combatant commands, and civilian U.S. government leaders.

For the case studies, the study team examined military operations in:

The case studies describe the civil affairs operations undertaken in each U.S. operation and the kinds of civil affairs capabilities used. Each concludes by providing lessons learned for consideration in future operations.

To learn from allied approaches, the study team conducted an analysis of the doctrine, organization, and operation of civil affairs in NATO countries and Australia.

The study team also conducted an extensive literature review of government reports, journal and other academic articles, think tank studies and many other relevant written products related to the evolution and status of civil affairs in the Department of Defense. The team began the literature review early in the study so that perspectives and issues that emerged during the review helped inform the interview process.