Conclusion

• There is a significant number of new and newly evolving tasks for the military in complex contingency operations.  While some fall into traditional categories, such as combat mission and security tasks, others are in non-traditional areas for the military, such as humanitarian assistance, communications (of the non-technical variety), and nation building. The military’s participation in these new and evolved tasks must be carefully understood, considered and planned for.

• The implications of these new and evolved tasks are that the military must prepare themselves to better manage them, and that all resources at the disposal of nations, such as use of the UN DPKO’s Training and Evaluation Service, and other education and training support programs, must be taken advantage of, to better prepare countries in the Asia Pacific region to participate to the fullest capacity, when it is in their national interests to do so.

• Military leaders must take the initiative to support preventative diplomacy and peacemaking initiatives, to emphasize active rather than passive participation in the interagency planning process, and to suggest preventive deployments when appropriate, in order to either eliminate the need for military action or to hep to ensure the success of the overall mission by maximizing opportunities for coordination, collaboration and cooperation with the other actors as early in the process as possible.

• Militaries must be prepared to meet the challenges presented by insurgents, rogue elements, and other spoilers after the major combat phase is over.  They have to have strategies in place for dealing with demonstrations and riots in the event of a political vacuum.  In addition, they may be required to support the civilian police component in the maintenance of law and order in the face of criminal gangs who may be in a position to take advantage of weaknesses in the justice, law and order and penal systems combined with dire economic circumstances for the local population.

• While missions may be composed of different coalitions, take different forms, and be launched for different geo-political reasons, for the operators essentially the nature of the challenges will be consistent from operation to operation.  All civil societies share commonalities, although the particulars differ.  Once a civil society and its institutions have been destroyed, rebuilding them in a comprehensive, holistic and integrated fashion remains the principle task for all parties working for stabilization.

• Triggers for transitions will emerge from the top down and from the bottom up.  Those from the top down are political in nature, whereas those from the bottom up are related to indicators of progress towards self-reliance by sectors of the civil society, including the existence of working economic, social and civic institutions.  Of primary concern to the military will be the success of law and order and the judicial and penal systems as these contribute greatly to the notion of a secure environment.

• End states are best thought of in terms of transition goals and strategies, and where possible the phrase “transition goals” should replace the phrase “end state” in communications.  An end state is actually a kind of transition.  The transition of one actor affects the transition of others: transitions are inter-related and dependent across sectors. Transitions need to have political will and guidance from above, support from below and clearly stated goals in order to succeed.  Planning for transitions should be done jointly with political, humanitarian, and military sectors, and the local authorities, as well as sector specific actors, for example, the UN Civilian Police Commissioner, World Bank, and so on, that are related to the success of that particular transition.

• While the military’s role in humanitarian assistance activities will continue to be controversial, the military can contribute in areas where they would be most useful and most welcomed by the other actors, for example, in the de-mining of civilian areas, where the military has the capacity to effect immediate improvements for the long term economic and social stability of the populace.

• The media will continue to be an influencer, and as much as possible perceptions should be managed and messages shared that will positively impact the mission.  The attitude toward the media should be proactive. Time, effort and resources should be expended to differentiate the media and to develop messages for the different audiences they represent.

• The challenges presented by interoperability among the responders can severely impede the progress of a mission. To better overcome these challenges, a number of activities should take place: joint education and training, integrated planning, the establishment of joint headquarters when possible, promotion of transparency, robust information sharing processes, and the development of standardized procedures.

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