Big news today.
Say hello to DoD Directive 3000.5. Or, for those of you keeping score at home, the SysAdmin Directive.
Tons of important stuff in there and I am not even going to pretend that I’m going to be able to unpack it all for a while.
I will say, however, that this is BIG BIG BIG. Did I mention BIG?
Of course, there are still many questions. Such as, do we really expect our entire force to be trained for stability ops?
Some defense scholars have urged the Pentagon to create constabulary units and other specialized forces to handle stability operations, saying that such troops could be kept abroad longer and provide skills not easily developed in conventional troops. But military commanders have considered the idea impractical, and Pentagon officials involved in drafting the new directive rejected it.
“As we looked at that question,” said Jeffrey “Jeb” Nadaner, the deputy assistant secretary for stability operations, “we felt it was better to have the skills across the force.”
In other words…
…the Pentagon wants all deployed forces trained in nation-building to make a smoother transition from major combat to humanitarian work.
“They need to rapidly be able to jump back and forth,” Mr. Nadaner said.
Not surprising really. This is only one step. And Nadaner is keeping his eyes on the prize:
It is required, [Nadaner says], because a major Bush-administration goal is to prevent al Qaeda and other terrorist groups from setting up shop in so-called ungoverned areas, or failing states, around the world.
I shouldn’t get greedy. Appreciate the moment, get back in the fight tomorrow.
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