Military-led Development Efforts

[MBJ]

All -

This is my first SWJ post so I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read and respond as able.

I am currently beginning an academic research project focusing on U.S. Military-led development efforts, the likes of which have become increasingly common in the Horn of Africa as led by AFRICOM and of course in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am primarily interested in activities engaged in by the military that traditionally have been associated, at least by the general public, with non-military aid and development organizations (both within and outside government).

I have attempted to begin my research with a narrow focus in the hopes of analyzing the successes/failures of specific programs. I realize that these represent just a drop in the bucket and would certainly be open to suggestions for other efforts to focus on as the project proceeds. As of now, I am concentrating on:

1) The Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP)
2) DoD's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO)

I would greatly appreciate any open source materials or information that SWJ readers or contributors might have to share. In addition, any suggestions and contact information for SMEs that might be willing to answer a few emails regarding these programs.

Thank you very much.

[veritatem cognoscere]

Mike - have you seen the June 2010 report on the lessons learned by the TFBSO?

http://tfbso.defense.gov/www/Lessons_Learned_Report.pdf

VC

[jmweinberg]

The two Inspector General sites have reports on development efforts, including CERP...just need to dig around a little:
http://www.sigir.mil/
http://www.sigar.mil/

This paper is the first quality evaluation of CERP in Iraq:
econ.ucsd.edu/~elib/ham.pdf

Also, take a look at the "Expeditionary Economics" project lead by the Kaufman Foundation with the military. I'm just beginning some work for this project, so let me know if you have any other questions. And feel free to forward your work, I'm particularly interested in the TFBSO.
http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFile...edEcon0510.pdf
http://sites.kauffman.org/eee/index.cfm
http://sites.kauffman.org/eee/video.cfm

Good Luck,

[MBJ]

VC - I have seen the CSIS report but thanks for the reply! Let me know if you have any more thoughts.

Josh - Thanks for the leads. I actually was just reading the CERP paper which I found posted on Abu Muqawama, the CNAS blog. I'll take a look at the Kaufman pieces and get back to you. Greatly appreciate the help here.

[Global Scout]

I have attempted to begin my research with a narrow focus in the hopes of analyzing the successes/failures of specific programs.

MBJ I think your study will be helpful to the community and wish you the best. We have had several emotional debates in the SWJ concil on this topic, so if I can find them I'll send you a link or two.

I pasted your comment above to point out one the biggest challenges in your study, and that is identifying the metrics to determine if the projects have been successful our not. I think you'll need data from a significant period of time to accurately determine if "development" versus humanitarian assistance (restoring essential services) was successful.

Unfortunately, most U.S. government led (to include the military) development efforts are poorly executed and the classic "The Ugly American" is as true today as it was when it was written. Our economic development efforts with few examples are largely Kodak moments for the media, then we scurry back to our enclaves. This is true for the State Department and the Military. There have been exceptions to the rule, but the rule is pretty darned consistent.

In a combat zone where we just occupied a country, CERP funds are and were essential to restore essential services, but that isn't development.

What is development? How do you determine if there was development? How do you determine if our assistance was instrumental in any way in facilitating the development?

Instead of looking at Iraq (pardon my negativism, but the friends of Chenny squandered billions of dollars with limited return on investment, so it doesn't prove that development efforts can or can't work, they were just poorly executed there), take a look at what we did at the end of WWII, at the end of the Korean conflict, and what we're doing now in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, Bangladesh, Philippines, etc. to get a wider view where you may be able to identify some fairly constant variables that contributed to success or failure. We already know we haven't done well in the main two current fights, but I think we have made progress elsewhere.

[davidbfpo]

Maybe this thread, under above title can help:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=10084

Found whilst looking for another topic.

[jcustis]

In a combat zone where we just occupied a country, CERP funds are and were essential to restore essential services, but that isn't development.

Exactly! But I would go further to say that in a more mature combat zone where we have occupied terrain for some time, CERP still isn't development. It gets misconstrued as such, and then all sorts of bad things tend to happen when it is expected to be applied as such.

I have similar questions regarding what development is. I think that is as instrumental to finding solutions as defining what COIN is.