ABSTRACT
Contemporary missions increasingly involve a variety of tasks ranging from war fighting through reconstruction and stabilization, providing additional opportunities for various kinds of interaction between a greater number of military personnel and members of the local population. The complexity and the often rapidly changing realities inherent in these missions also create increasing potential for ambiguity, uncertainty, errors and misunderstandings. One potentially vital aspect to consider in these missions is the role of trust. The development and maintenance of trust between military organizations and a local population is increasingly recognized as integral to the success of international military operations. Theory and research suggest that trust promotes the ability to establish new and to maintain existing associations. The general pattern of results is also consistent with past literature concerning the hypothesized positive interrelationships among the dimensions that comprise trust.
