Preparing for an Era of Persistent Conflict
MCWAR Papers 2010
Edited by Tammy S. Schultz
ABOUT THE BOOK
This edited volume contains the type of ingenuity that the United States needs at this critical juncture in its history. If we are at the threshold of an era of persistent conflict, U.S. leaders must consider unique capabilities, organizations, and missions to be successful. Even U.S. culture may need to adapt—if conflict is truly persistent, we may need to foster more resiliency than currently may exist in our culture. This volume takes a new look at capabilities, organizations, and missions in this era of persistent conflict, and closes with an analysis of how ultimately the country’s fate rests with its people, and the implications for that analysis.
This volume of papers begins with one of the central strategic issues facing the country—the lack of operational, deployable civilians. Many studies on ideal solutions to grow civilian capacity gather dust on credenzas. Until this utopian ideal is realized, however, the United States desperately needs to fill this gap with civilians trained, organized, and equipped to operate in these environments alongside their military counterparts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Plugging in the Gap: A Comparative Review of Variables that Affect Civilian Deployment Capacity
Christie E. LaPlume
Chapter Two: National Security and the Interagency Enterprise: A Critical Analysis
John C. Vara
Chapter Three: Establishing U.S. Stability Operations Command: An Organization for the Critical National Security Missions of the 21st Century
Doug M. Hammer
Chapter Four: The Strategic Impact of the Security Assistance Program in Contingency Operations
Harvey R. Robinson
Chapter Five: Piracy: A Local Threat with Global Impact
Matthew G. St. Clair
Chapter Six: Clausewitz’s Trinity and Strategic Decision-Making
Fritz W. Pfeiffer
Chapter Seven: The Case for a National Risk Communications Strategy for Mitigating Terrorist Attacks
Roger R. Laferriere