Strategic Planning and the Drug Threat
Authored by COL (RET) William W. Mendel, COL (RET) Murl D. Munger.
August 1997
185 Pages
Brief Synopsis
The primary purpose of this publication is to show how the principles and techniques of strategic and operational planning can be applied to the supply reduction side of our national effort to curb the trafficking of illicit drugs. An earlier version was published in 1991 which introduced campaign planning methodology as a means to help bridge the gap existing between the policy and strategy documents of higher echelons and the tactical plans developed at the field level. These campaign planning principles, formats, and examples of operational level techniques have been retained and updated for use as models for current interagency actions. This expanded edition provides a more detailed overview of the drug problem in the opening chapter and adds a new chapter devoted to strategy--what are the key ingredients and how is an effective strategy formulated?
The United States is at a critical juncture in its campaign to eliminate the rampant drug problem. Past gains are in danger of being lost. Recent trends suggest a resurgence in illicit drug use and that younger and younger Americans are falling prey to the drug pusher.
OVER VIEW
The United States is facing a threat as dangerous to the national well-being and moral fiber of its society as anything encountered in the past 200 years. From without and within, our country is under attack from those who operate the illicit drug industry. In their pursuit of profit and power, the drug traffickers have become as threatening to our social and political institutions as any foe we may face in the next decade. They reap fortunes while sowing the seeds of societal destruction.
During 1995, some 20 million Americans, about 1 in 9 of our citizens, used some form of illicit drug and 12.8 million of those can be termed regular drug users. Between 1992 and 1995, the rate of increasing drug use by teen-agers more than doubled. The demand for drugs has created a climate of fear in many neighborhoods as drug-related violence and street crime are prevalent throughout the nation. Citizens are demanding greater protection–yet combating drug-related crime is already overtaxing both our criminal justice system and our penal system. Also in danger of being overburdened is our health care system. Those who use and abuse drugs by sharing contaminated needles spread the AIDS virus and other diseases. Those who seek medical and psychological rehabilitation to free themselves from drug addiction are draining assets from those needing treatment of disorders unrelated to drugs. We cannot deny that the situation is serious.
All responsible Americans have the obligation to help create and maintain a drug-free society for the health and well-being of the people of the United States. Achieving this will require a concerted national effort incurring considerable expense of time and resources. To sustain support for any long-term counterdrug campaign, it is essential that the nature and magnitude of the threat be understood by the American public. This chapter sets forth basic information that portrays the drug situation of the late 1990s. Included are the principal drugs of choice; where they come from and how they get here; some effects they are having on American society and the basic approach taken to combat the drug problem.
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