Stabilization and Reconstruction

Final Report of the Working Group

Rome, Center for High Defense Studies

27th September 2006

 

On the eve of the sixty anniversary of the Alliance, NATO's core mission remains unchanged, the defense of the members of the Alliance, however, the nature of threats to the Alliance has changed and therefore the Alliance must transform to meet these new international threats.
 
We recognize the critical role Stabilization and Reconstruction will play in the future of NATO operations and we believe that NATO members should establish a common understanding of what stabilization and reconstruction involve. The first and foremost goal of NATO in stabilization and reconstruction efforts is to provide secure environment to achieve sustainable peace.
We understand NATO's role in Stabilization and Reconstruction to include peace-enforcing, peace-keeping and peace-support operations out of area with active support of the other international and local actors to transform a, conflict area into a place of sustainable, peace and development. Operations may initially be internationally led, but must be transferred to a locally led process as soon as possible and appropriate. NATO should recognize the importance of establishing and maintaining the legitimacy of the effort. The Alliance should seek to the extent possible the cooperation of local and regional actors.
 
In order to achieve these goals NATO must develop and enhance new and existing capabilities and mechanisms:
 

  • NATO must maintain highly capable and rapidly deployable forces with a capacity to operate across a spectrum ranging from high intensity combat to peace support operations.
     
  • NATO operations from the outset should incorporate plans for transition to locally or internationally led efforts. To the extent possible this planning should be coordinated with other responsible parties. NATO should lead Security Sector Reform efforts.
     
  • The Alliance should further develop and refine its capabilities to train and equip local security sector forces.
     
  • NATO must be prepared to play a supporting role in non-traditional security activities such as counternarcotics, human trafficking, counter-proliferation, and other tasks deemed necessary by the NAC.
     
  • NATO recognizes that both international and non-governmental organizations have more specialized resources and expertise in the realm of humanitarian and development assistance, but conditions on the ground may not always allow other organizations to operate freely and effectively. Therefore NATO must be prepared to support humanitarian activities and, in extremis, to conduct its own humanitarian operations.
     
  • NATO should further develop civil-military concepts at the operational level emerging from the experiences of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan (PRTs).
     
  • NATO should develop as far as possible mechanisms to cooperate with other actors including IO's and NGO's in planning operations, and should develop mechanisms for sharing with these actors security related information in the field.
     
    In addition to developing and enhancing Alliance-based capabilities, NATO should recognize the expertise and lead-status of other international actors, depending on the sectoral issue:
     
  • NATO should seek to establish formal relationships and liaisons at both the policy and operational levels. Particularly, the Alliance should deepen and broaden its liaison with the United Nations Organization's entities and associated bodies (i.e. UNHCR, UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, International Monetary Fund).
     
  • NATO should institutionalize the role of the SCR in all NATO operations. NATO should further develop the role of the Senior Civilian Representative to include taking the lead in liaising with other actors on the ground.
     
  • NATO should seek to engage the European Union beyond the current arrangements to seek more flexible and practical cooperation tailored to specific operations.
     
  • NATO should develop guidelines for coordination with NGO's, Private Security Firms, and other involved non-state actors.

Conclusions
 

The reality of the current and future security environment demand that NATO take stabilization and reconstruction into consideration in all future operations. NATO does not seek and cannot be a "global policeman", at the forefront of every international stabilization and reconstruction effort. Nevertheless, because its member share values expressed in Washington Treaty "as democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law", NATO must develop and maintain an ability to act decisively and effectively to defend the Alliance's interests and values.

 


 
 

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