Interagency Coordination Structures in Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations

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Examination of post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction operations (SRO) planning and execution following Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom has revealed critical shortfalls in the United States' ability to conduct interagency operations and planning. This paper evaluates six interagency coordination structures: the Incident Command System, Provincial Reconstruction Teams, embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams, USAID, Civil-Military Operations Center and the Vietnam-era Civil Organization for Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS). When evaluated with respect to the SRO criteria of legitimacy, reach, expertise, responsiveness and unity of effort, two of these coordination structures show the greatest advantages: the ICS, commonly used for domestic interagency coordination, and CORDS, an integrated coordination structure that has not been repeated since Vietnam. This paper recommends that these structures be evaluated further for integration into SRO. The ICS, in particular, is already used by multiple agencies for coordination during emergency response to domestic disasters. The ICS integrates DoD, DHS, state and local agencies during disaster response, and could be adopted as an interagency coordination structure during stabilization and reconstruction operations.