REFLECTION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

WR-501

1. How do you think strategic objectives relate to end state?

Two critical thoughts:

- Strategic objectives are like arrows or a compass heading … they point you toward your desired end state.

- They are the overall guidance from which you develop the objectives for the various instruments of power.

Therefore, the political, economic and military objectives are refinements of strategic objectives or the operationalization of strategic objectives.

2. Why is end state formulation so important to campaign planners?

The more vague the end state the less clear objectives and strategy will be and the less likely a better state of peace will exist in the event of hostilities.

- A clearly defined end state allows the planner to develop the most effective path to accomplish the desired end state.

- How you fight a war determines the peace … and … the kind of peace you want dictates the way you fight; therefore, in either case, as a planner you must know what that vision of a desired end state or better state of peace is to fight a war.

- Key to top down analysis--the clear end state establishes priorities from which all instruments of power can refer to make the best decisions to accomplish the objectives (i.e. allocation of resources, organizations).

3. What are the conditions usually prevalent during peace?

· Agreeable political dialogue between nations.

· Primacy of the economic and political instruments of power.

· Agreeable and supportive political and economic interaction.

· Mutual acceptance of the means of resolution in disagreements.

· "Normal" (as if there is such a thing) military operations characterized as nonconfrontational (such as training activities).

4. What characteristics do you think would be present during the post-hostilities phase of the war termination process?

· May be abruptly arrived at any time.

· Organized hostilities are terminated by all parties to the dispute, it doesn't work when only one side decides to stop fighting.

· Hostilities could resume at any time. There are many examples of the enemy using negotiations only to strengthen their position to attack again.

· Primacy of political instrument of power but inextricably linked with military and economic instruments because of the activities in this phase (transition from military to civilian).

· Signaled by cessation of formal fighting.

· Negotiations are ongoing in an attempt to reach settlement.

· May create the necessity for operations other than war (humanitarian, peacekeeping, etc.).

5. Who are the primary actors in war termination?

· People of the disputing parties (leaders, population)--They provide public support (or protest) thereby possibly influencing the leadership and provide manpower for the military.

· Government (President, Congress, State, Ambassador etc.)-- Sets the objectives, determines how much damage they are willing to accept while keeping the desired end state in focus.

· Military-- Establishes the desired end state in coordination with the military; Sets the objectives, determines how much damage they are willing to accept while keeping the desired end state in focus.

· Media (This is a relatively new phenomenon)--Acts as a sanity check (sometimes) to ensure the government and the military act in the best interest of the people; Can become the conscience of the people driving public opinion to such a level that the people insist upon involvement (Somalia) or disengagement (Vietnam).

· Also must consider actors involved in coalition warfare.

WR-502

6. The ambassador is the chief of the US diplomatic mission within a country. As such, he is the head of the country team. Although the country team is technically a management tool of the State Department which combines the skills, information, problems, and resources of organizations performing American missions within a specific country, it can also interface with the DoD. What are possible relationships with the DoD?

The country team is the one place that civilian and foreign policy activity come together, and although the area military commander is not a member, he or his designated representative may participate as a member of the county team, when invited. The team is also a valuable source of information for the CINC and his staff. State Department personnel, from the departmental level to the ambassador, participate in the pre-hostilities negotiations, treaties or ad hoc arrangements concerning these or other related issues. If the military force is to execute these agreements properly, State Department personnel must be used to provide support to the military. The country team can be a prime source of current local intelligence on which the military area commander may base counterintelligence planning and operations and they will play the key role in working with the host-country media elements.

7. The State Department and the DoD have different areas of responsibility. How do these differences lead to different perspectives?

· Geographical--The CINC must develop programs and follow courses of action that are in the best interests of his entire region. This may conflict with the best interests of one or more of the countries within his region and therefore with the interests of the ambassadors within those specific nations.

· Lack of recognition of the Command by a particular nation--When a specific nation does not recognize the US Command that has it within its region, it places both the CINC and the ambassador in conflicting positions.

· The ambassador is responsible for civilian activities and the CINC is responsible for military activities.

· Ambassadors may have important political connections--May make them more influential than the CINC. When this happens and the ambassador chooses to use his political clout, he may derail the CINC's plans.

· The CINC controls security assistance money. The ambassador and his staff are usually very interested in disbursement of these funds, but do not have a legal voice in their disbursement.

WR-503

8. What can we do to overcome the problems of culture clash with NGOs/IOs in our campaign planning and execution?

· Arnold recommends "leader training that includes the complexities involved in negotiations, UN operations, the integration of all services and coalition forces, and operating with NGOs."

· Conduct combined military training exercises--have the NGOs actively participate in combined planning with military and civilian government officials.

· Share information (both directions); the military and NGO/IO communities must be willing to share logistical, security, and other types of information to avoid duplication and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the relief effort.

· Establish a CMOC (Civil-Military Operations Center) to serve as the primary interface between all humanitarian organizations (NGOs) and military forces.

9. How should we incorporate NGO/IO involvement in campaign planning? When should they be involved?

The positive aspects include the reduced likelihood that local conflicts will spill out beyond the region and escalate to global levels.

--Certain long-standing conflicts such has those between Israel and the PLO, or South Africa's, have also been positively influenced by the absence of the Soviet Union as a global actor.

--We may also expect new or re-energized regional collective security arrangements to emerge. ECOMOG's Nigerian-led attempt to settle the dispute in Liberia is an example of this.

On the negative side, stronger states in these regions may now be encouraged to exercise their predatory tendencies over the weak in the absence of global power intervention. Or, devastating civil wars such as in As a planner, you need to be open-minded. NGOs/IOs can greatly enhance mission effectiveness. However, remember that they have their own agendas and goals and may not be as dependable as another military unit. Also, their lack of resources may inhibit their ability to help. Involve them as soon as practicable (security requirements may necessitate a delay) because even if they cannot be physically present, they may know the history, geography, leaders, informal leaders, etc., of the region. Their knowledge could eliminate unnecessary duplication to make your job easier or make your research more efficient. Currently, the military is already involving NGOs in its exercises. For example, InterAction has sent representatives from several of its agencies to combined training exercises run at the US Armys Joint Readiness Training Center. Lastly, operate smartly. The military can establish networks today--before a crisis erupts--which will enable us to effectively integrate NGOs/IOs tomorrow.

WR-504

10. What are some of the common attributes of post-hostilities humanitarian missions?

- It is difficult to preplan for humanitarian missions following hostilities.

- No single government or public agencies are willing to accept responsibility as the sole coordinator.

- The military is normally the only agency with resources to perform the mission, but outside agency cooperation is still a requirement.

- Other neighboring countries may be in a better position to help than the US.

- The attitudes of citizens requiring aid varies depending on the nature of the conflict.

- Humanitarian missions may quickly strengthen international opinion regarding the US, unlike diplomatic efforts which require years.

- Such missions normally require an extensive and expensive logistics effort.

11. What are some of the problems likely to arise when military institutions undertake the task of occupation?

· Military services do not care for the apparently more mundane tasks of occupation and administration. Occupation commanders face problems such as maintaining discipline, dealing with boredom on the part of the occupying forces, and so on.

· Political and diplomatic factors regularly intrude. What may seem to be a relatively minor incident between the occupying forces and the civilian population may escalate into a very dangerous situation.

· Military commanders find themselves thrust into the uncomfortable and unfamiliar role of "proconsuls," or provincial governors. Many lack the skills necessary to succeed.

· As was the case in Germany and Japan, post-World War II, a complex interagency game takes place between various civilian and military authorities. Responsibilities and roles are frequently overlapping or unclear.

12. What types of occupation missions does airpower not seem particularly well suited to?

· Airpower would seem to be of limited utility in gaining access to raw materials or other physical objects.

· While it is certainly possible that airpower could be used to exterminate a population, certain international and moral constraints tend to rule this out.

· It would be difficult to envision using airpower as an agent of constitutional change or "social engineering" as in Japan after World War II.

13. What were some of the lessons for civil-military operations that may be drawn from the Gulf?

· Bring CA on board to start planning your end state before offensive planning begins.

· Establish and exercise a special relationship between CA and the logistics community.

· Always plan and prepare to go beyond a negotiated settlement (i.e. occupation) in case this course is forced upon you.