A Framework for NGO-Military Collaboration
Abstract : What do military professionals need to know about NGOs? The literature on NGOs includes very little about NGO-military relationships in troubled areas. Moreover, the U.S. military fails to convey or encourage an adequate understanding of NGOs in its publications and mid-career military education. Drawing abductively from scholarly literature and inductively from case studies and practitioner interviews, I theorize that the efficacy of NGO-military collaboration varies with the type of NGO (INGO or LNGO) and the type of operation. I crystallize this argument into a typology of NGO-military outcomes. I find that military cooperation with international NGOs is most productive during humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief operations, whereas military cooperation with local NGOs is most productive during conflict and post-conflict operations.
Civil Society Engagement in the Sulu Archipelago: Mobilizing Vibrant Networks to Win the Peace
Abstract : How might the United States military think about and interact with civil society organizations to help win a sustainable peace? In this paper, I use retroductive reasoning, the Delphi method, and a modified Institutional Analysis and Development framework to explore this question. While some adversaries must be pursued and eliminated, the military must also connect with the populace through deliberate and direct engagement with civil society groups in order to secure the peace. I check this thesis with a plausibility test of two experimental interventions in the Southern Philippines and find that a simple probe reveals complex webs of vibrant networks able to mobilize masses of people capable of transforming the conflict landscape. This study identifies future research agendas, offers recommendations, and presents a rules of thumb guide for future planning.
Operation Sea Angel: A Case Study
Abstract : Cyclone Marian struck 110 miles off the southeast coast of Bangladesh on the evening of 29 April 1991, resulting in widespread death and destruction. The United States provided immediate practical assistance in emergency and short-term recovery operations by establishing a Contingency Joint Task Force (CJTF) and launching Operation Sea Angel (OSA). The bulk of CJTF forces were from Amphibious Group 3 and the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (5th MEB), enroute home from the Persian Gulf, supplemented by Army and Air Force elements. This case study examines a variety of lessons learned from the operation and specifically analyzes their relationship to demographic trends in the less- developed world.