Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization

"[W]e are working to strengthen international capacities to address conditions in failed, failing and post-conflict states. . . . President Bush already has charged us at the State Department with coordinating our nation's post-conflict and stabilization efforts."  -- Secretary Rice, February 17, 2005

New Foreign Policy and Security Challenges: Failing or failed states and those emerging from conflict pose one of today's greatest security challenges. They are breeding grounds for terrorism, crime, trafficking, and humanitarian catastrophes, and can destabilize an entire region. Preventing or managing internal conflict has become a mainstream part of U.S. foreign policy. We must organize ourselves in a way that addresses this security challenge head on, and allows us to achieve results that support our national and international interests, that helps save lives and is consistent with our national prestige.

MISSION: The office will lead, coordinate, and institutionalize U.S. Government civilian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict situations, and to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife so they can reach a sustainable path toward peace, democracy and a market economy.

Building U.S. and International Capabilities: Based on trends over the last decade, the United States must have the capacity to manage, together with its international partners, two to three concurrent stabilization and reconstruction operations (S&R) at any given time. With bi-partisan support in Congress, and at the direction of the National Security Council, the State Department created in July 2004 the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). The Secretary named Ambassador Carlos Pascual as Coordinator. The Coordinator reports directly to the Secretary of State. S/CRS is working with the USG, external partners, and the UN, EU, IFIs and interested states to strengthen global capabilities to mitigate, manage, and respond to conflict.

President's FY 2006 Budget Request: The 2006 Budget proposes a $100 million Conflict Response Fund and funding to strengthen S/CRS¡¯ ability to lead U.S. planning efforts for countries and regions of most concern, and coordinate the deployment of U.S. resources when needed. This first phase of funding focuses on building core leadership, coordination and response capabilities and providing baseline funding to support rapid field deployments essential to creating positive dynamics on the ground.

Core Functions: S/CRS will lead and manage civilian response teams in Washington and the field, identify and plan responses to post-conflict situations, and coordinate USG participation in multilateral operations. S/CRS will engage interagency partners to identify states at risk of instability and focus attention on policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate conflict. S/CRS will coordinate interagency efforts to integrate civilian and military planning, and will provide interagency leadership on: monitoring of potential states in crisis, assessing lessons learned and integrating them into operations and planning, supporting budget requests for capacity-building, recommending resource allocations for a response, developing and managing civilian standby capabilities for deployment, and coordinating with international partners.

Interagency Coordination: S/CRS will coordinate and integrate USG civilian stabilization and reconstruction activities undertaken by experts in other offices, agencies, and departments to ensure unity of effort, provide implementers with more effective and rapid response capabilities, identify gaps and remove barriers. S/CRS has established standing forums for consultation; planning; developing, coordinating, and implementing policies; and managing operations. S/CRS and interagency partners are assessing capabilities in the U.S. Government, and in the private sector, NGOs, private voluntary organizations, and other external partners.

Engaging International Community: Working closely with State Department bureaus and Treasury, S/CRS is engaging with international partners to: increase global capacity for peacekeeping and peace-building activities, highlight at-risk societies, foster international discussions, collaborate on conflict prevention, and coordinate crisis responses.

Operational Approach: Effectively managing post-conflict efforts requires coordination of skills, resources, and policy attention in Washington, with international partners, in the region, and on the ground. Working closely with State's Regional bureaus, the National Security Council, and interagency partners, S/CRS will bring together country and sectoral experts to provide policy oversight, plan and manage operations, advise Cabinet level leadership, and deploy interagency teams to integrate civilian activities on the ground with any military or multilateral intervention from the earliest phases. S/CRS is also leading an interagency effort to develop a model for civilian teams that can deploy together or, when needed, embed with the military and establish a decentralized presence to undertake stabilization activities. When deployed with the military, these teams will provide civilian leadership in parallel with military operations.

Civilian Response Capability: S/CRS is creating capacity to deploy interagency teams quickly and effectively, and get programs running on the ground. S/CRS will lead the coordination of USG civilian field operations or support Embassy capabilities to do so, engage in preventative planning, and work with allies, international organizations, and NGOs. A trained Active Response Corps of State Department officers would deploy as first responders to staff planning teams, augment Embassy staffing, and if necessary deploy with the military or multilateral peacekeepers to create the U.S. diplomatic base on the ground. After completing their service, Active Corps staff would be part of a Standby Corps subject to recall for future S&R missions. S/CRS will engage partner agencies and bureaus with technical capabilities to design, execute and manage S&R activities. To access skills outside the USG, interagency working groups will identify key skill areas and be the conduit for establishing an operational database of global pre-positioned funding mechanisms to rapidly acquire and deliver resources.

DEVELOPING CRITICAL TOOLS Quick-Start Program Funding Quick-Launch Design Teams Decentralized Deployment, Integrated Fieldwork First Responders for Diplomatic Operations Complement of Specialists and Contractors on Retainer To Deliver Assistance Improved Coordination of International Responses Coordinated DC Management for Complex Operations Civilian Participation in Civilian-Military Exercises Contingency Planning Template and Capability Application of Lessons Learned

Prevention and Planning: S/CRS is working to promote and mainstream conflict prevention and mitigation across the interagency through support to regional bureaus and field missions. S/CRS is also strengthening civilian planning capabilities to facilitate coordination with civilian agencies, the international community, and the military, when necessary. In the event of substantial military involvement, transitioning as early as possible from military to civilian leadership on the ground is critical. S/CRS is leading USG efforts to develop a common template for joint S&R planning, integrate civilian and military planners into each other's processes, promote common operational doctrine, and jointly execute post-conflict stability operations. Building robust civilian capabilities provides the military with viable exit strategies.

Consulting Non-USG Partners: S/CRS is establishing strong partnerships with NGOs, think tanks, the private sector, academics, and operational experts to tap their country and technical expertise, learn from their experiences, identify gaps in coordination, and strive to make S/CRS' operational models as interoperable as possible on the ground.

Engaging Local Stakeholders: Peaceful transitions cannot succeed without involving the stakeholders. Too often, key groups are sidelined. This is particularly prevalent with women. Women are actors in conflict, either by force or by choice, and in other cases as victims. Since women are part of the violence, they must be part of the solution. Women contribute to peacebuilding efforts by ensuring that women¡¯s priorities are addressed, acting as agents for change and advocates for peace, and bringing to bear extensive experience working across conflict lines. S/CRS recognizes the role of women and other local stakeholders in peaceful transitions, and will build sensitivity for local priorities and ownership into USG responses.

VALUE ADDED Getting civilian teams on the ground sooner saves time,money, and most importantly lives. Interagency: With staff detailed from across the U.S. Government, S/CRS can quickly reach back to partners. Averting Crises: Conducting systematic analyses of states at risk, and planning to identify policy options to manage conflict. Speed: Maintaining a core staff for leadership and management able to operationalize diplomatic and technical skills. We have to be fast to be relevant. Capabilities: Establishing a network of pre-positioned mechanisms for acquiring and delivering needed skills. Resources: Working with Congress to make available funds rapidly but with accountability for S&R operations. By creating civilian mechanisms that allow the military and peacekeepers to leave earlier, the investment is paid off. Accountability: Ensure accountability for field performance by involving from the outset all USG and international partners with management responsibilities across the full spectrum of S&R activities. Integrated Response: Creating a joint civilian operations capability that is agile, flexible, scalable, and institutionalized, and builds on lessons learned.