U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Publications >> Details

U.S. Military Forces and Police Assistance in Stability Operations: The Least-Worst Option to Fill the U.S. Capacity Gap

Authored by Colonel (Ret.) Dennis E Keller.

Brief Synopsis

Establishing an effective local police force is one of the most critical elements of successful counterinsurgency and stability operations, but is a task for which the U.S. government is poorly prepared and lacks capacity. This monograph retraces the recent history of U.S. foreign police training, from the well-coordinated effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1961 to 1974, the U.S. congressional prohibition of the use of foreign assistance funds for police training which ended the USAID police training role in 1974, and the subsequent evolution of a patchwork approach to U.S. foreign police training involving up to 30 departments and agencies, a variety of private police contractors, and multiple fund appropriations. Despite this bureaucratic complexity, the key principles for developing effective local police in stability operations remain the same. There must be a distinction between stability policing and community based policing, with a transition from the former to the latter at the appropriate phase of stability operations. Normative standards are critical for effective community based policing, and must be established by shaping police organizational subculture in the context of local societal culture. This monograph explores the way ahead to achieve these goals for effective local police in stability operations in the current complex and challenging operational environment.

You may also be interested in the following titles:

• 
  Strategic Landscape, 2050: Preparing the U.S. Military for New Era Dynamics

• 
  The Clash of the Trinities: A New Theoretical Analysis of the General Nature of War

• 
  Building Partner Capacity in Africa: Keys to Success

• 
  Rotational Deployments vs. Forward Stationing: How Can the Army Achieve Assurance and Deterrence Eff...

• 
  What Should the U.S. Army Learn From History? Recovery From a Strategy Deficit

• 
  The Army War College Review Vol. 3, No. 1

• 
  Ends, Means, Ideology, and Pride: Why the Axis Lost and What We Can Learn from Its Defeat

• 
  U.S. Landpower in the South China Sea

Survey: U.S. Military Forces and Police Assistance in Stability Operations: The Least-Worst Option to Fill the U.S. Capacity Gap

1. How would you rate the writing and overall quality? (5 best - 1 Worst)

12345

N/A

2. Is the content relevant for influencing present and future debates?

YesNoNo Opinion

Your Comments (No URLs Allowed):

If you'd like a reply to your comments, provide your email:
(optional)

View other pubs in the following categories:

Landpower Employment & Sustainment
Military Change and Transformation
Military Strategy and Policy
Landpower Roles
Nation Building
National Security Strategy
Operational Concepts