Calls for Overhauling U.S. Government for Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations
July 27, 2005-Nation-building is not just a humanitarian concern, but a critical national security priority that should be on par with war-fighting, concludes an independent Council Task Force co-chaired by former national security advisors Samuel R. Berger and Brent Scowcroft. The report, In the Wake of War: Improving U.S. Post-Conflict Capabilities, argues that the United States must acknowledge that "War-fighting has two important dimensions: winning the war and winning the peace."
The Task Force finds that "To succeed, initial military combat operations require advance planning and a substantial commitment of money and manpower. The same is true for the subsequent phase of conflict, commonly called nation-building, and known inside the Pentagon as 'stabilization and reconstruction.' The failure to take this phase of conflict as seriously as initial combat operations has had serious consequences for the United States, not just in Iraq but, more broadly, for international efforts to stabilize and rebuild nations after conflict."
It continues, "In Iraq, pre-war inattention to post-war requirements--or simply misjudgments about them--left the United States ill-equipped to address public security, governance, and economic demands in the immediate aftermath of the conflict, seriously undermining key U.S. foreign policy goals and giving early impetus to the insurgency."
The U.S. government is currently poorly organized for the task of nation-building. "The higher priority now accorded to nation-building has yet to be matched by a comprehensive policy or institutional capacity within the U.S. government to engage successfully in stabilization and reconstruction missions," the report says.
The Task Force calls on the President to make clear that building America's capability to conduct stabilization and reconstruction operations will be a top foreign policy priority. The report recommends concrete ways for the U.S. government to organize to take on these challenges, including giving greater authority to the State Department.
- "The National Security Advisor and his staff should be formally tasked with civilian-military coordination and establishing overarching policy associated with stabilization and reconstruction activities. This role should be codified in a new National Security Policy Directive, and knowledgeable, competent personnel assigned to fulfill this mandate."
- "The President and the Secretary of Defenseshould firmly establish that stability operations are a strategic priority for the armed forces. Stability and reconstruction needs to be understood and treated as a mission as important to America's security as high-intensity combat operations."
- "The State Department should lead all civilian efforts related to stabilization and reconstruction." While the NSC should lead coordination on civilian-military issues, "the Department of State must be empowered to manage and oversee implementation of policy in this area." Further, "The State Department coordinator should be elevated to an undersecretary of state-level position" and a reserve or contingency fund of $500 million should be established for this office.
- "USAID would lead the day-to-day execution of the programs and activities on the ground." The report recommends creating "a Deputy Administrator for Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations at USAID."
- The administration should "Establish coordinators for reconstruction-related programs in other agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor and Health and Human Services." Also, the administration should "Strengthen the capacity of theIntelligence Community to provide timely and effective information relating to the requirements of stabilization and reconstruction operations."
- The United States should "Push to create a standing multilateral reconstruction Trust Fund, managed under the auspices of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations." The report says that "The new fund would be capitalized at approximately $1 billion and managed by a donor board consisting of representatives from the G8 member states, the UN, the World Bank, and other contributing countries."
The Task Force also notes that "demand for United Nations involvement in stabilization and reconstruction missions is straining the organization." The report says that "Member states must recognize that many UNSC-authorized missions may be more appropriately led by 'green helmeted' national forces than 'blue helmeted' ones." The report calls for linking Security Council mission approval to resource commitments by member states and establishing an assessment schedule for contributions to post-conflict reconstruction activities.
The Task Force co-chairs and directors urge Congress to fund the President's FY 2006 budget request for the Conflict Response Fund as well as for the operations of the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Congress should also enact the administration's recent proposal to transfer up to $200 million in FY 2006 from DOD to the State Department in the case of an emergency that requires immediate reconstruction, security, or stabilization assistance.
The Task Force is directed by retired Army Major GeneralWilliam L. Nash, Director of the Council's Center for Preventive Action. The deputy director is former National Security Council staffer Mona Sutphen of Stonebridge International.
Task Force Members
Samuel R. Berger (Co-Chair)
Stonebridge International LLC
Brent Scowcroft (Co-Chair)
The Scowcroft Group
William L. Nash (Director)
Council on Foreign Relations
Mona K. Sutphen (Deputy Director)
Stonebridge International LLC
Frederick D. Barton
Center for Strategic & International Studies
Peter Dexter Bell
CARE USA
Nora J. Bensahel
RAND
Henry S. Bienen
Northwestern University
Hans Binnendijk
National Defense University
Antonia Handler Chayes
The Fletcher School
Jock Covey
Bechtel Corporation
Ivo H. Daalder
The Brookings Institution
James F. Dobbins
RAND
Evelyn N. Farkas
Senate Committee on Armed Services
Shepard L. Forman
Center on International Cooperation
Bob Graham
Chuck Hagel
U.S. Senate
John J. Hamre
Center for Strategic & International Studies
Jane Harman
U.S. House of Representatives
Victoria K. Holt
Stimson Center
Robert D. Hormats
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Jeff Kojac
U.S. Marine Corps
David A. Lipton
Citigroup
Michael Pan
United Nations
Susan E. Rice
The Brookings Institution
David Rieff
World Policy Institute
Kenneth Roth
Human Rights Watch
Eric P. Schwartz
Princeton University
Michael A. Sheehan
New York Police Department
Walter B. Slocombe
Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered
Gordon R. Sullivan
Association of the U.S. Army
Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek International
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