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. 

The US’ National Security Strategy (NSS) of October 2022 uses the phrase allies and partners 47 times in its 48 pages.0F1 The related 2022 80-page National Defense Strategy (NDS), which includes the Missile Defense and Nuclear Posture Reviews, refers to allies and partners 127 times and titles an entire section: Anchoring Our Strategy in Allies and Partners and Advancing Regional Goals.1F2 The slimmer 8-page Na-tional Military Strategy (NMS) mentions allies and partners six times, to include in one of the four identified Joint Force Strategic Objectives: “Deter strategic attacks and other aggression against the United States, allies, and partners.”2F3 [Emphasis added]. It also lists allies and partners in the seventh of ten Joint Force Tasks, Strengthen Relationships with Allies and Partners, with this urging: “Seek opportunities to collab-orate and improve interoperability with allies and partners to confront enduring and emerging challenges. Foster strong relationships now — because we cannot surge trust in crisis.”3F4

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.

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.

1. Strategic Stability Seminar Key Findings 2. Public Order Management 3. State Building versus Nation Building 4. Why Institutionalize Homeland Civil-Military Cooperation 5. Western Sahara Conflict, MINURSO Options 6. Syrian Refugee Impact on European Heroin Crisis 7.  The Challenges of UN Peacekeeping Operations 8. UN Peacekeeping: The Chicken or the Tiger? 9. Book Review: The Women in Blue Helmets 10. Book Review: Women and the War on Boko Haram

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)!

UNDOF Executive Summary
UNDOF of the Golan Heights is one of five current missions with a Chapter VI mandate (sometimes referred to as a “traditional” mandate). Since 1974, the mission tasks have been to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria and to supervise the areas of separation and limitation, as defined by the Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria (also known as the Agreement of Disengagement, which is the same title of a similar agreement between Israel and Egypt). However, in the 43 years of UNDOF—and the 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War which resulted in the current disposition of borders—not much else has occurred to resolve the conflict. Instead, many contemporary factors further the complexity of the situation, to include: the ongoing Syrian civil war; larger regional concerns of transnational terrorism and other security issues; and the multi-generational Israeli occupation with its interwoven economic concerns.

Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 3-07 is the Army’s doctrine for stability tasks. ADP 3-07 Stability presents overarching doctrinal guidance and direction for conducting these operations, setting the foundation for developing other fundamentals and tactics, techniques, and procedures detailed in subordinate doctrinal publications.

This publication has been prepared under the direction of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). It sets forth joint doctrine to govern the activities and performance of the Armed Forces of the United States in joint operations, and it provides considerations for military interaction with governmental and nongovernmental agencies, multinational forces, and other interorganizational partners.

Releasability UNCLASSIFIED. This JP is approved for public release. Access to this publication is unrestricted; distribution is unlimited and releasable outside the combatant commands, Services, National Guard Bureau, and Joint Staff.

• Established in 1993 initially as the "Peacekeeping Institute" (PKI), with the challenge of developing a doctrinal base for peacekeeping operations, the SFASID has grown in both size and outreach. today, SFASID is a regular partner at the UN in association with the UN DPKO and interacts across many UDG agencies, NGOs, and IOs with peacekeeping/stability operations focus to address both the military and non-military aspects of peacekeeping.
• SFASID has continued to evolve as the US Army's Center of Excellence for Peace and Stability Operations at the strategic and operational levels. In 2013 SFASID assumed its newly designated role as the Lead Agent for Joint Proponency for Peace and Stability Operations. For the foreseeable future, SFASID will be the pre-eminent trainers of US forces preparing to conduct multinational peacekeeping operations. SFASID and its partners will also focus on collecting the key lessons learned over the last Decade of War, ensuring that key peacekeeping capabilities are adequately documented so that they can be rapidly re-generated to respond to US national requirements in the years to come.