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Pentagon Emphasizing Humanitarian Aid, Reconstruction Work

03 February 2006

Quadrennial Defense Review outlines military strategic goals for U.S.

By Vince Crawley
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The Pentagon is placing new emphasis on humanitarian work, post-conflict stability and reconstruction missions, multicultural awareness and collaboration with other nations, according to a Quadrennial Defense Review released February 3.

Recent global operations -- ranging from Iraq and Afghanistan to the responses to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the October 2005 South Asia earthquake – have shown the importance of cooperation among different branches of the U.S. government as well as with other nations, senior Pentagon officials told reporters.

As it pursues militant groups around the globe, the United States is fighting an enemy “that’s not a nation, but we’re fighting it within nations which we’re not at war with,” said Ryan Henry, the principal under secretary of defense for policy.

“Then there’s the humanitarian front, which is going to be key in winning the support of those who will be defeating the terrorist networks which we are faced against today,” Henry said. That means winning the support of “the moderate Muslim community” in situations in which humanitarian work by U.S. forces can make a lasting difference in public attitudes, Henry said.

U.S. military forces also are reshaping themselves to be more effective at prolonged “irregular” conflicts such as the multiyear operations now under way in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Henry, who briefed reporters alongside Navy Vice Admiral Evan Chanik, director of force structure, resources and assessment on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.

Traditionally, the U.S. military has placed its greatest emphasis on preparing and equipping forces for major combat operations.  U.S. forces also have engaged historically in post-conflict reconstruction and stabilization operations, but these were considered less important missions than securing a battlefield victory. However, developments in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown the importance of security, stability, transition and reconstruction operations, and these operations  now have been placed on “equal footing” with combat capabilities, Henry said.

The Pentagon also has learned the value of partnerships in accomplishing the nation’s strategic goals, he said. These partnerships should be across the branches of the federal government as well as with other countries. “We can’t always do it ourselves,” Henry said. The Pentagon has recognized “the need to work collaboratively within the U.S. government” as well as with allies and coalition partners, he said.

The Quadrennial Defense Review, which describes the administration’s global military goals, is mandated by Congress to be issued every four years.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, NATO supreme allied commander transformation, gave a briefing February 1 at the Pentagon in advance of the release of the QDR.

For more information on U.S. military policy, see International Security. Also, the Defense Department maintains a Web page discussing the Quadrennial Defense Review.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)