As the Ukraine military executes a counter-offensive against the Russian military in October 2022, some observers say postwar military planning needs to wait until war’s end. They argue that postwar planning and reconstruction would only be a distraction from the current battle rhythm and the future is uncertain. Read more...

Despite recent events that have called its future into question, to include the 23 August death of its former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group, or some successor to it, appears likely to maintain its entrenched position in Africa. Over the past five years, Wagner has rooted itself in several African countries to include those with significant peacekeeping missions. Out of the six active United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in Africa, Wagner has a presence in three: Mali, the Central African Republic (CAR), and, until the recent civil war, Sudan. Specifically, in CAR, Wagner has combined offensive clearing tactics, concerted disinformation campaigns, and material support from the Russian state to position itself as a viable alternative to peacekeeping. This has proven to be a winning strategy, especially in the face of rules-based limitations surrounding UN peacekeeping missions, and Wagner has successfully carved out a favorable position within the CAR government with its top operative in the country, Vitali Perfilev, acting as a national security advisor to President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. Though there is little evidence to suggest CAR would follow the Malian junta in demanding the departure of the UN-led Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Wagner’s entrenchment in the country still offers key lessons for future peacekeeping efforts, which should consider a host nation’s desire for unscrupulous allies that could threaten human rights as well as the peacekeeping mission itself.

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Information is necessary to make decisions. It is a logical assumption that more information leads to more successful outcomes. Therefore, decision-makers of all levels and professional fields seek more data. Yet, it is increasingly obvious that more data does not always result in an information advantage over competitors. The policymakers and practitioners engaged in peace and security efforts face the same information advantage challenges and opportunities as any other global societal entity. Big Data overwhelms everyone; picking the right data to call information is often the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack.

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On 21 December 2023, the Department of Defense released the DOD Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response, which establishes the Department’s enduring policies, responsibilities, and procedures for mitigating and responding to civilian harm. This DOD Instruction is a milestone in the implementation of the 25 August 2022 Secretary of Defense Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP). The issuance of this policy continues the process of improving the Department’s approach to mitigating and responding to civilian harm, including by formalizing DOD policies, responsibilities, and procedures related to CHMR and by creating a reinforcing framework of processes and institutions which will improve strategic outcomes and optimize military operations. 

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DoD’s core responsibility during stabilization is to support and reinforce the civilian efforts of the USG lead agencies consistent with available statutory authorities, primarily by providing security, maintaining basic public order, and providing for the immediate needs of the population. DoD’s role in stabilization fits within the larger whole of government context of laws, regulations and policies.

This lesson collection offers some insight into topics and concepts the DoD should recognize or consider as it plans and programs itself to partner with other federal agencies across the stabilization spectrum.

This publication presents DSS opportunities and challenges both externally and internally.

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Welcome to the first installment of the Fiscal Year (FY) 25 Semi Annual Lessons Learned Report, and the inaugural one, for the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center’s Security Force Assistance & Stability Integration Directorate, or SFASID, formerly known as the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, or PKSOI. The Lessons contained herein reflect one of the US Army’s Collection Topics for its FY25 Army Lessons Learned Plan (ALLP): See, Sense, Understand, and Direct.

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The Security Force Assistance and Stability Integration Directorate (SFASID) is excited to announce the launch of J3O P-US900-Stabilization 101 on Joint Knowledge Online (JKO)!

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The article “The Yazidi genocide and the imperfect fulfillment of ‘never again’” reflects on the 2014 ISIS-led genocide against the Yazidi people in northern Iraq and the U.S. military’s rapid response to prevent further atrocities. Written by SFASID’s Sam Russell who while on active duty served at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, during the crisis, the piece recounts how over 40,000 Yazidis were trapped on Mount Sinjar, facing starvation and death. The U.S. and coalition partners launched a multidomain mass atrocity response operation, combining precision airstrikes, humanitarian airdrops, and coordination with Kurdish forces. Russell emphasizes the logistical complexity of the operation, including nightly missions to deliver food and water, and the deployment of special operations forces alongside a civilian disaster response team. While acknowledging that the response was not perfect, the article argues it was a rare and decisive fulfillment of the promise of “never again,” saving tens of thousands of lives and reshaping how the military approaches mass atrocity prevention.

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