The Working Group serves as a venue for discussion on the challenges posed by operations where combat and reconstruction and relief are occurring simultaneously.
After the promulgation of the Guidelines, the Working Group has been focusing on:
Guidelines Education: Working Group sessions with the regional Combatant Commands (CoComs) in 2008 and 2009 have provided the CoComs with a deeper understanding of the Guidelines, the need to assess their effectiveness in the field, and benefits of the Guidelines for training and education for those deploying to current theaters of operation. A Tabletop exercise, prepared with input from members of the Working Group, will be published in 2009 for use in education and training by any government, international or non-governmental organization.
US Military Doctrine: Beginning with the vetting of the Army's new Stability Operations doctrine (FM 3-07) and ongoing work to review Joint Publications such as "Interorganizational Coordination During Joint Operations," (JP 3-08), the Working Group has provided a critical venue to help doctrine reflect the realities of current operations and the roles of specific actors in these operations.
USG Policy and Initiatives: The development of a civl-military relations policy between US AID and the Department of Defense, the establishment of AFRICOM, funding of stabilization and reconstruction activities under the 1206/1207 initiatives, and the new Quadriennial Defense Review are examples of policy and implementation initiatives that have been briefed formally and discussed under the neutral space provided for the Working Group.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s).