Reforming the Interagency Coordination Process in Support of Contingency Operations

Not since World War II has the U.S. Government adopted a national security strategy where all the elements of national power were directed to support the nations national security strategy. Since World War II, many of the conflicts the U.S. has engaged in have not been a coordinated U.S. Government USG effort to win these conflicts. In fact, many U.S. departments and agencies seem to play no role or only a minor role in such conflicts. Many of the problems identified with reconstruction and stabilization during the Iraq War can be attributed to the lack of qualified USG personnel with expertise in areas where the military lacks sufficient expertise. Our military has attempted to pick up the shortfall in interagency support, but it lacks the expertise that the U.S. Government could provide to succeed in these peace-making operations. This research provides recommendations to reform the U.S. Governments interagency process to support contingency operations.