Conclusion
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” With that said, if al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents are providing sustenance to the populace and our partner nation is not, then the insurgents appear to be compassionate. Basic needs for sustenance have to be met by someone, something or some organization. It is not in anyone’s best interest to have our sworn enemies supporting the very people with whom we are trying to partner, because of bonding and the strings that may be attached by terrorists. Therefore, we must take action in these contentious regions to ensure that our allied governments are responsible, willing and capable of providing the people’s needs.
SOF CMSE teams are very resourceful in providing flexibility and adaptability to the civic leadership. If fully supported with appropriate funding and resources, CMSEs will continue to be successful in providing face-to-face dialogue and providing a strategic foothold in any country.
Finally, we must ensure that we approach these nonkinetic measures with a process-orientated — as opposed to a results-oriented — mindset. In the military, we always want to complete the mission, and sometimes we get too immersed in tangible and monetary measurements. What is not always tangible is the people’s trust and confidence in their government. We need to be cognizant of that fact as we attempt to measure or quantify results. The project isn’t the mission — the mission is to win the confidence of a community and a nation. A newly built town hall is merely a physical structure — our goal is to get the people to respect their elected officials, and for those officials to bear responsibility. Those actions will ultimately provide stability in the region, fostering cooperative prosperity, freedom of trade, individual property rights, rule of law, equal justice and international economic globalization.
Major Ross F. Lightsey Sr., is assigned to the JFK Special Warfare Center and School’s 1st Special Warfare Training Group. Formerly assigned to the 96th CA Battalion, he has served assignments in Infantry, Special Forces and Civil Affairs. He has served multiple combat tours in the CENTCOM area of operations, as well as numerous operational deployments. His most recent tour was to Qatar as commander of a CMSE that had elements across Pakistan, Tajikistan and Yemen.
Source: Special Warfare Magazine | pdf
See also:
- American Neo-Colonialism: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan | 11 July 2009
- Critical Notes on Obama’s Cairo Speech: Imperialism with a Human Face | 7 June 2009
- More on “Persistent Engagement” | 3 June 2009
- Persistent Engagement — Preview of an Emergent Obama Doctrine | 19 May 2009
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