Nation-Building Elevated

by-Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times
http://www.washtimes.com
December 14, 2005

The pentagon yesterday announced a landmark change in the use of combat troops, elevating "stability missions"--commonly called nation building--to an equal status
with major combat operations.

The evolution in war-planning priorities underscores how the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by the al-Qaeda terror network continue to fundamentally reshape how US military commanders deploy the armed forces.

Not only are US forces becoming more mobile to counter threats, but the chain of command now will be trained in how to "build" nations by creating indigenous security forces, democratic institutions and free markets.

Pentagon Directive No. 3000 orders US commanders around the globe to infuse postwar stability missions into every war plan. Commanders also are to start coordinating with civilians at the State Department and other agencies to create nation-building teams.

The new policy, signed Nov. 28 by acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, is an indirect acknowledgment that the pentagon badly bungled the planning for Iraq after it ousted Saddam Hussein in April 2003.

A secret study conducted for the Joint Chiefs of Staff obtained as disclosed in September 2003 by the Washington Times, found that military planners spent relatively little time on postwar planning in Iraq and did not properly carry out the Interagency process with the White House, State Department and other government agencies.

Under Directive 3000, which first was ordered to be developed 18 months ago by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, its major objectives include making sure there is a plan to restore security quickly after major combat operations end, and then have funds ready to begin rebuilding.

Military officers say that until that time, such stability operations were almost an afterthought to war planners, who focused on the primary mission of defeating the enemy and taking territory.

The focus broadens with the new Directive's one overriding paragraph:

"Stability operations are a core US military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support. They shall be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly addressed and integrated across all DoD activities including doctrine, organizations, training, education, exercises, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning."

The Directive is titled "Military Support for Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction Operations."

Jeffrey Nadaner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations, said the policy draws lessons from many military operations, not just Iraq. It is required, he said, because a major Bush-administration goal is to prevent al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups from setting up shop in so-called ungoverned areas, or failing states, around the world.

Mr. Nadaner said planners rejected the idea of dedicating specific military units to stability missions. He said the pentagon wants all deployed forces trained in nation-building to make a smoother transition from major combat to humanitarian work.

"they need to rapidly be able to Jump back and forth," Mr. Nadaner said.

Mr. Rumsfeld's Directive puts in writing some of the missions the military already has been doing in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"US military forces shall be prepared to perform all tasks necessary to establish or maintain order when civilians cannot do so," the policy states.

"Successfully performing such tasks can help secure a lasting peace and facilitate the timely withdrawal of US and foreign forces."

Among the goals and functions listed in the paper are to rebuild security forces, prisons and Judicial systems, "revive or build the private sector," and "develop representative governmental institutions."