Recent military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq were characterized by the rapid defeat of enemy military forces, by relatively small deployments of American forces, and by a very limited destruction of the critical civilian infrastructure. This success can be credited in large part to the ongoing transformation of the U.S. military evident in its effective use of information superiority, precision strike, and rapid maneuver on the battlefield. The Armed Forces were not nearly as well prepared to respond promptly to the lawlessness, destruction of the civilian infrastructure, and attacks on coalition forces that followed hard on the defeat of the Iraqi military. This has set back plans to restore essential services and to pass the reins to a representative Iraqi government. Moreover, the failure to establish security concurrently with the defeat of the Iraqi military may well have emboldened those who oppose the United States, United Kingdom, and even United Nations presence. It is precisely the success of the U.S. military in transforming its forces to execute rapid decisive operations that makes it imperative to transform how it prepares for and executes stabilization and reconstruction (S AND R) operations. The very rapid defeat of the enemy military means the United States must be ready to field the resources needed to secure stability and begin the reconstruction process promptly-ideally concurrently-with the end of major combat. This can only be done if planning for the stabilization and reconstruction operations is integrated into planning for the conflict from the beginning and if the right skills are in theater to begin operations concurrently with the surrender or collapse of the enemy military.

Recent military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq were characterized by the rapid defeat of enemy military forces, by relatively small deployments of American forces, and by a very limited destruction of the critical civilian infrastructure. This success can be credited in large part to the ongoing transformation of the U.S. military evident in its effective use of information superiority, precision strike, and rapid maneuver on the battlefield.

U.S. experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated that improving U.S. capacity for stabilization and reconstruction operations is critical to national security. To help craft a way ahead, the authors provide an overview of the requirements posed by stabilization and reconstruction operations and recommend ways to improve U.S. capacity to meet these needs.

Recent stabilization and reconstruction operations have demonstrated the critical need for a U.S. interagency approach consisting of a clear and cohesive strategy that incorporates essential elements of national power. In the complex battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in numerous other conflicts in recent history, the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have come together with the purpose of stabilizing and reconstructing war torn countries. However, past and ongoing efforts have revealed major government shortfalls resulting from the government's ad hoc approach in the planning and execution of these operations. As a result of scant success in theses operations and sharp Congressional and audit agency scrutiny, these agencies have embarked in an accelerated transformation. In the past few years, U.S. national level leadership has fully recognized the critical shortfalls and as a result has undertaken a number of initiatives to build the necessary government capacity. This paper will examine lessons learned from past operations and describe U.S. national level efforts initiatives to build capacity and effect change in all three agencies. This paper will also described how these three agencies have addressed U.S. national guidance and established new structures and systems to create the necessary capacity to operate as an interagency enterprise.

Claude Chabrol's second film follows the fortunes of two cousins: Charles, a hard-working student who has arrived in Paris from his small hometown; and Paul, the dedicated hedonist who puts him up. Despite their differences in temperament, the two young men strike up a close friendship, until an attractive woman comes between them.