Accession Number:

ADA505112

Title:

Unraveling CORDS: Lessons Learned from a Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF)

Descriptive Note:

Monograph

Corporate Author:

ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES

Personal Author(s):

• Howell, Patrick V.

Report Date:

2009-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

103.0

Abstract:

Though the United States military has excelled in winning wars, it has not enjoyed the same success in winning the peace. That requires the coordinated effort of numerous departments and agencies of the U.S. Government -- an Interagency Operation. U.S. Government interagency efforts since the end of the Cold War have not been extremely successful. However, conducting Interagency Operations is not new to the U.S. Government. During the Vietnam War, the United States established the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support CORDS program, a Joint Interagency Task Force JIATF civilian-military program that combined all military and civilian pacification efforts, resources, and personnel into a single chain of command. This Whole of Government WoG approach differs from current U.S. Government and military doctrine for Interagency Operations. A large body of research consistently cites CORDS as an example to be emulated for Interagency Operations. This raises three questions 1 Was CORDS an effective JIATF for pacification, 2 Was that success due to its WoG organizational approach, and 3 How was CORDS created This monograph answers the first two questions by looking at pacification efforts in Vietnam across three distinct time periods. It answers the last question by comparing the bureaucratic politicking behind the creation of CORDS to other established patterns of bureaucratic policy making. The results of this research suggest that current doctrine for Interagency Operations is inefficient and ineffective. Given the likelihood that Interagency Operations will increase in number makes this a very relevant topic for research.

Descriptors:

• *MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES)
• *VIETNAM WAR
• *INTERAGENCY COORDINATION
• *LESSONS LEARNED
• *COMMUNITY RELATIONS
• *CIVIL AFFAIRS
• *UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
• MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS
• SOUTH VIETNAM
• CIVIC ACTION
• CIVILIAN POPULATION
• CIVILIAN PERSONNEL
• GOVERNMENT(FOREIGN)
• MILITARY PERSONNEL
• MILITARY HISTORY

Subject Categories:

• Government and Political Science
• Military Forces and Organizations
• Unconventional Warfare

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE