ABSTRACT
In current military operations, the US Army is striving to adapt an unprecedented capability in war-fighting to counter insurgencies and establish stability necessary for the reconstruction of failed or failing states. Stability operations were recently established by Department of Defense Directive 3000.05 (2005) as a core US military mission, on a par with combat operations. A primary objective in counterinsurgency or stability operations, more broadly called irregular warfare, is to protect the public and gain their trust (U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, 2006). Military experts have proposed that this is best achieved by establishing or re-establishing security, basic services, and opportunities for growth (Chiarelli and Michaelis, 2005; Gray, 2006; Petraeus, 2006). These missions are more about winning the peace than winning the war (Chiarelli and Michaelis, 2005) and will require a different and much broader perspective than more traditional combat operations.
