The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) was established in November 2011 to focus on conflict prevention, crisis response, and stabilization activities as mandated by the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).
CSO was preceded by the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS), whose mandate was to “lead, coordinate, and institutionalize U.S. government civilian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict situations and help reconstruct and stabilize a country or region that is at risk of, in, or is in transition from, conflict and civil strife.”
S/CRS was integrated into CSO as the Department moved to make conflict prevention and response a core mission. CSO belongs to the “J” family of bureaus under the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. It works with these and other offices to make the Department more efficient, agile, and coherent in preventing and responding to conflict and crisis.
