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In response to the challenges in Afghanistan and Iraq, top U.S. military and political leaders elevated the importance of stabilization activities such as de¬velopment, called for strengthened civilian capacities, and put more resources toward civil-military coop¬eration. The U.S. Government is ramping up efforts to create this whole of government (WoG) approach. This chapter argues that WoG is not enough. Stabi¬lization and security require a “whole of society” or comprehensive approach including the interests and perspectives of diverse sectors of civil society.
Research for this paper included five focus group dialogues between 140 people, including equal num¬bers of military personnel from U.S. and International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan, staff of civil society organizations in the United States and Afghan¬istan, and university professors and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on civil-military rela¬tions across Africa and Asia. The research took place between 2010 and 2011. The author of this chapter, the director of the university-based program called 3P Human Security, and a partnership exploring peace-building policy at Eastern Mennonite University led the research project. Co-sponsors of the dialogues included the University of Notre Dame, U.S. Institute of Peace, National Defense University, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute at the U.S. Army War College, and the International Secu¬rity Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. The research dialogues explored perceptions of commonalities; dif¬ferences; tensions; and potentials for collaboration, co¬operation, and communication between military and civil society personnel.
A comprehensive approach, according to U.S. mili¬tary stability operations doctrine, integrates coopera¬tive efforts of the departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, intergovernmental agencies and NGOs, multinational partners, and private sector entities such as civil society organizations (CSOs) to achieve unity of effort toward a shared goal. But in this comprehen¬sive approach, civilian government, civilian contrac¬tors, CSOs, and the civilian public are very different kinds of civilians, each requiring a different form of relationship and communication with military forces. The intense challenges of coordinating government civilians with military personnel and the increasing use of civilian contractors confuses and overshadows the distinct nature of how an independent civil soci¬ety relates to military forces and plays important roles in democratization, good governance, stability, and peace. The current WoG approach ignores a large part of the equation necessary for peace and security, how government and military forces will relate to local and international civil society efforts related to develop¬ment and peace.
Based on a series of five dialogues between civil society and European and U.S. Government and military personnel, this chapter provides an orienta¬tion to the perceptions, tensions, and opportunities between civil society organizations and government and military personnel in conflict-affected regions. Current tensions between government and military personnel on one hand and many civil society actors on the other, make it impossible to achieve a compre¬hensive approach. While many CSOs play important roles in peace and security, they are best able to play these roles when they are independent from govern¬ment and military forces. A whole of society approach recognizes the key roles civil society plays in building security from the ground up and gives civil society space and independence to play these roles without being tightly coordinated with government or mili¬tary forces. A comprehensive approach that respects the independent roles of civil society is most likely to enable their contributions to stability and security. This chapter makes the case for a more robust concep¬tion of civil society, a better understanding of historic civil society-military tensions, and a set of recommen¬dations to address these tensions.
The full chapter can be read at the following link - http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/download.cfm?q=1102
Today, America faces security challenges that are exceedingly dynamic and complex, in part because of the ever changing mix and number of actors involved and the pace with which the strategic and operational environments change. To meet these new challenges more effectively, the Obama administration advocated strengthening civilian instruments of national power and enhancing America’s whole of government (WoG) capabilities. Although the need for comprehensive integration and coordination of civilian and military, governmental and nongovernmental, and national and international capabilities to improve efficiency and effectiveness of post-conflict stabilization and peacebuilding efforts is widely recognized, Washington has been criticized for its attempts at creating WoG responses to international crises and conflicts that result in the overcommitment of resources, lack of sufficient funding and personnel, competition between agencies, ambiguous mission objectives, and the undermining of the military’s primary purpose of defending the national interest. Presenting the results of an international symposium held at Kennesaw State University in February 2011, this volume traces the genesis of WoG, critically examines current WoG practices, and draws lessons from the operational contexts of Iraq and Afghanistan. The first part of the book describes the overall global security context within which peacebuilding and stability operations are currently conducted, examines the merits of WoG approaches, and discusses their efficacy for responding to a range of emerging threats. The second part addresses some of the practical challenges of implementing WoG approaches for international conflict management and specifically for U.S. intervention in fragile states. The third and final part examines WoG efforts in the field and draws lessons learned from operational experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq that may be useful in future interventions.