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viii FM 3-07 6 October 2008 Introduction Today, the Nation remains engaged in an era of persistent conflict against enemies intent on limiting American access and influence throughout the world. This is a fundamental clash of ideologies and cultures, waged across societal abysses separating rich ethnic and religious traditions and profound differences in perspective. The Nation is embarking on a journey into an uncertain future where these precipitous divides threaten to expand as a result of increased global competition for natural resources, teeming urban populations with rising popular expectations, unrestrained technological diffusion, and a global economy struggling to meet the mounting demands from emerging markets and third world countries. The character of this conflict is unlike any other in recent American history, where military forces operating among the people of world will decide the major battles and engagements. The greatest threats to our national security will not come from emerging ambitious states but from nations unable or unwilling to meet the basic needs and aspirations of their people. Here, the margin of victory will be measured in far different terms from the wars of our past. However, time may be the ultimate arbiter of success: time to bring safety and security to an embattled populace; time to provide for the essential, immediate humanitarian needs of the people; time to restore basic public order and a semblance of normalcy to life; and time to rebuild the institutions of government and market economy that provide the foundations for enduring peace and stability. This is the essence of stability operations. Joint doctrine provides a definition for stability operations that captures the role of military forces to support broader governmental efforts: [Stability operations encompass] various military missions , tasks, and activities conducted outside the United States in coordination with other instruments of national power to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure environment, provide essential governmental services , emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief (JP 3-0). This manual proceeds from that definition to establish the broad context in which military forces assume that role before, during, and after combat operations , across the spectrum of conflict. In doing so, the manual focuses the efforts of military forces appropriately in support of the other instruments of Introduction 6 October 2008 FM 3-07 ix national and international power; thus, the manual defines a comprehensive approach to stability operations in a complex and uncertain future. For Army forces, those efforts are fundamental to full spectrum operations. The essential nature of stability operations in this era of persistent conflict became increasingly clear following combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Recognizing this shift in focus, the Department of Defense (DOD) implemented DODD 3000.05 in November 2005. The directive emphasized that stability operations were no longer secondary to combat operations, stating: Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support. They shall be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly addressed and integrated across all DOD activities including doctrine, organizations, training, education, exercises, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning. The directive further stressed that stability operations were likely more important to the lasting success of military operations than traditional combat operations . Thus, the directive elevated stability operations to a status equal to that of the offense and defense. That fundamental change in emphasis sets the foundation for this doctrine. This manual addresses military stability operations in the broader context of United States Government reconstruction and stabilization efforts. It describes the role of military forces in supporting those broader efforts by leveraging the coercive and constructive capabilities of the force to establish a safe and secure environment; facilitate reconciliation among local or regional adversaries ; establish political, legal, social, and economic institutions; and help transition responsibility to a legitimate civil authority operating under the rule of law. This transition is fundamental to the shift in focus toward long-term developmental activities where military forces support broader efforts in pursuit of national and international objectives. Success in these endeavors typically requires a long-term commitment by external actors and is ultimately determined by the support and participation of the host-nation population. However, this manual also provides doctrine on how those capabilities are leveraged to support a partner nation as part of peacetime military engagement . Those activities, executed in a relatively benign security environment as an element of a combatant commander’s theater security cooperation plans, share many of the same broad goals as stability operations conducted after...

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