Study Background

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2009 included a requirement that the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) prepare a report to Congress on civil affairs to be submitted by April 1, 2009. To assist OSD as it prepares its report to Congress, the Stability Operations Capabilities Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy asked CSIS to conduct a comprehensive assessment of civil affairs within the Department of Defense. The CSIS study team was asked to examine more than 10 issue areas, with a focus on the anticipated civil affairs requirement, how best to meet that requirement, whether the programmed force will meet that requirement, the issue of joint proponency, and how civil affairs fits into the broader construct of civil-military operations undertaken at the U.S. government level.