AUSA-PKSOI workshop highlights stability operations as core U.S. military mission

By Robert D. MartinOctober 1, 2015

Maj. Gen. William Hix, Director, Strategy plans and Policy G-3-5-7, speaks to the participates of the AUSA-PKSOI Stability Conference
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Panel members of the AUSA-PKSOI Stability Conference
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Panel members of the AUSA-PKSOI Stability Conference, from left to right; Beth Cole of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Dr. Janine Davidson, a senior fellow for defense policy, Kimberly Field, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilizat... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, President and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army, and former Chief of Staff of the Army,
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Almost 10 years ago The U.S. Army's Role in Stability Operations was published by AUSA. The 2006 analysis provided in‑depth review about why stabilizing, securing, transitioning and reconstructing weak, failing and failed states are vital to U.S. security interests, how both U.S. military and civilian activities are critical to stability operations and what specific resources the Army and others require to engage for success in stability operations.

A decade later, stability operations are widely recognized as critical to military operations, but there's work to be done across the force, according to those who create policy: Anne Witkowsky, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs; Maj. Gen. William Hix, Director, Strategy Plans and Policy G-3-5-7, Lt. Gen. Ken Tovo, commander of Special Operations Command; Maj. Gen. John Broadmeadow, commander Marine Corps Logistics Command; Maj. Gen. Dan Ammerman, commander of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne); retired Lt. Gen. Terry Wolf, director of Near East South Asia, Beth Cole of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Dr. Janine Davidson, a senior fellow for defense policy, Kimberly Field, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

The AUSA-PKSOI Stability Conference was held at The Navy League of the United States in Arlington, Va., Sept. 17, to examine "the military's future in stability operations." The issue was discussed by two speakers and a panel of military and civilian experts was led by retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan. Currently president and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army, as Chief of Staff of the Army, he established the Peacekeeping Institute which evolved into the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. (www.pksoi.org)

"The Army doesn't get to choose what they do, so it's worth paying attention to humanitarian assistance, stability operations and peacekeeping that have been on the docket for some time now," said Sullivan. "We do a lot of work repairing critical infrastructure, supporting governance, rule of law, enabling economic development and providing humanitarian assistance. Our military forces demonstrated great flexibility in meeting these requirements."

"Stabilization is something the Army has done since its inception. Having said that, we do so very reluctantly, said Maj. Gen. William Hix, director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, Army G3/5/7. "If you care about the outcome of the fight you just entered, you are going to wind up staying there a long time, because the outcome matters.

"We have to realize that stabilization occurs across the range of military operations and if done right it can contribute significantly to deterrence, said Hix."

"Stability must occur and be on the same level as the kinetic tasks of offense and defense. You cannot consolidate the gains of combat without following through with stabilization," said Hix. "Without stabilization you have not secured the victory."

The workshop was designed as a 10-year situation update, focused on the 2006 study of The U.S. Army's Role in Stability Operations (published by AUSA). It provided an analysis of why stabilizing, securing, transitioning and reconstructing weak, failing and failed states are vital to U.S. security interests, how both U.S. military and civilian activities are critical to stability operations and what specific resources the Army and others require to engage for success in stability operations.

"It's clear that the global, political and economic landscape has shifted since the AUSA report in 2006, but the underlying theme still rings true," said Anne A. Witkowsky, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs. "Stability operations play an essential role in shaping the strategic environment in winning the peace."

PKSOI is the Army's lead agent for stability operations proponency across the Joint Force. PKSOI members at the event shared their insights about the state of stability operations doctrine and training today.

"Higher level strategic guidance and documents clearly state the U.S. must be ready to conduct stability operations and retain and refine the lessons and specialized capabilities that have been developed over the last ten years of stability-centric operations," said Haseman, chief of PKSOI training, education and leader development efforts. "In this environment, education and training become even more crucial.

"Joint and Army Doctrine has matured and reached a level of consensus," said Haseman. "The task now is refinement and integration into training and education. Stability operations training has seen improvements over the last decade, but challenges remain. We must protect against returning to the era of only training Combined Arms Maneuver tasks," he added. "Stability tasks must be trained to and resourced on par with offensive and defensive tasks to ensure we turn our battlefield victories into strategic victories."

"The ability to conduct stability activities in the realm of building partner capacity enables partner countries to prevent instability. It is a strategic decision to employ resources to be in the prevention mode instead of the reaction mode," Haseman said.

"The increased demand for units to perform discrete stability tasks, and stability activities as well as stability task-centric named operations over the last ten years is not an anomaly and will likely increase. This reality demands that the Armed Forces accept and act on an enduring requirement to be proficient in stability operations, and to be in a position to exert resources to prevent crises," he said.

"If you care about the outcome of a conflict, you should be willing to stay and commit to executing stability operations to consolidate combat gains and develop a sustainable stable outcome," said Haseman.

Demand for stability operations over the past 10 years is not an anomaly, said Bill Flavin, PKSOI deputy director. The interconnected global operating environment will maintain the need to engage in order to stabilize deteriorating security environments and to deter conflict.

"Stability Operations is not 'something else' the US military does, but an integral part of what the military is," said Flavin.

The US Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute promotes the collaborative development and integration of Peace and Stability capabilities across the U.S. government and the international community in order to enable the success of future Peace and Stability activities and missions." Established in 1993 initially as the "Peacekeeping Institute" to develop a doctrinal base for peacekeeping operations, the PKSOI has grown in both size and outreach. Today, PKSOI is a regular partner at the UN in association with the UN DPKO and interacts across US government agencies, NGOs, and IOs with a peacekeeping/stability operations focus to address both the military and non-military aspects of peacekeeping.