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The Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) will sunset the Stability Operations Lessons Learned & Information Management System (SOLLIMS). The system will not be available after Friday, March 13, 2020. The lessons and resources archived in SOLLIMS have been moved to the Joint Lessons Learned Information System (JLLIS). JLLIS serves as the system of record for all lessons learned across the joint force.

The decision to sunset SOLLIMS was made in coordination with the US Army Combined Arms Center, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and the Joint Staff J7 Joint Lessons Learned Division to eliminate the redundancy between the two systems.

Leveraging JLLIS, PKSOI will continue to serve as the integrator of joint lessons learned for P&SO in its role as the Army and TRADOC lead for Joint Proponent of Stabilization and Peace Operations.

Members of the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations (P&SO) community of practice/interest who possess a DoD Common Access Card (CAC) can now query the JLLIS system for P&SO related observations and document files previously archived in SOLLIMS. The website is https://www.jllis.mil.

Those members of the P&SO community who are not CAC holders can “Ask PKSOI” for assistance at the PKSOI website, http://pksoi.armywarcollege.edu/.

All members of the P&SO community can still submit lessons. CAC holders can contribute new P&SO lessons directly in JLLIS. All others can submit lessons directly to PKSOI by emailing usarmy.carlisle.awc.list.pksoi-operations@mail.mil. Lessons should be in Observations, Discussion, and Recommendation format, and if needed can also include Implications, Comments, and Event Description.

PKSOI will continue to produce a quarterly lessons report–formerly called SOLLIMS Sampler–with select lessons that are now resident in JLLIS. PKSOI posts all of its quarterly lessons reports on their website at http://pksoi.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm/resources/pksoi-publications/pksoi-lesson-reports-sollims-samplers/.

PKSOI created SOLLIMS in 2009 as a web-enabled database to provide a repository for observations, insights and lessons pertaining to P&SO. SOLLIMS was an unclassified, open-source system available to a larger P&SO community that spanned joint, interagency, inter-governmental, multinational, and non-governmental organizations. SOLLIMS has served that community for more than a decade holding over 750 P&SO lessons and more than 7,700 resources. All of those lessons and records were transferred to the JLLIS database on March 6, 2020, and PKSOI will continue to produce new lessons directly in JLLIS

Questions regarding the sunsetting of SOLLIMS can be directed to PKSOI by phone at (717) 245-3031 or by email at usarmy.carlisle.awc.list.pksoi-operations@mail.mil.

USAID/Jordan is preparing to develop a new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for 2020–2025. To inform the new CDCS and future programming, USAID/Jordan commissioned Management Systems International (MSI) to contract a team of gender experts (the MSI Gender Team) to conduct a gender analysis and a gender assessment. This report documents the analysis and assessment findings and recommendations.

To view or download the report please click on the link and button below.

WPS Congressional Caucus Launch. Representative Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) and Representative Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) officially launched the Women, Peace, and Security Congressional Caucus Monday, March 9th. The caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Frankel and Rep. Waltz, will work to support implementation of the WPS agenda and ensure that WPS goals are considered national security and foreign policy priorities for the United States. This caucus demonstrates Congressional commitment to WPS and will provide a great platform for educating Congress on WPS. The WPS team in OSD(P)/SHA and the Joint Staff J5/CTIC attended the launch of the caucus on the Hill, as did PDO ASD/SOLIC Thomas Alexander and OSD(P)/SHA’s new Acting DASD Stephanie Hammond. Rep. Frankel, Rep. Waltz, and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Kelley Currie provided remarks at the event. Here’s a link to a press release on the caucus – https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=291

This quarter’s SOLLIMS Lesson Learned Report theme is partnering.  Partnering is a broad concept in peacekeeping and stability operations, ranging from informal cooperation between aiding organi-zations and local authorities, to the doctrinal concepts embodied in Joint Publication JP 3-20 Security Cooperation. 

U.S. security cooperation encompasses all activities with foreign security forces and institutions to build relationships that help promote US interests.  Gaining and maintaining access with partner nations to build their capacity in the support of U.S. goals is the centerpiece of security cooperation efforts.  As U.S. national policy acknowledges, the nation will rarely conduct unilateral offensive, defensive, or stability operations. Partnering with allies, whether governmental or non-governmental, is foundational to achieving strategic objectives. (JP 3-20, pp. v-vii and p. I-2) 

In addition to addressing lessons impacting security cooperation partnering, this report also informs strategic culture, economic development, civil affairs considerations and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). Relationships with allies and partner nations advances national security objectives, pro-motes stability, prevents conflicts, and reduces the risk of having to employ U.S. military forces in a conflict.  (JP 3-20, p. I-1) 

To read or download the report please click on the link or download button below.

  The Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Spain, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – Allied Command Transformation (NATO-ACT), hosted the 2019 International Concept Development and Experimentation (ICD&E) Conference in Madrid, Spain from 29 – 31 October.  ACT is a military command of NATO that leads military transformation of alliance forces and capabilities through new concepts and doctrine.  PKSOI analysts, George McDonnell and Sarah Petrin, joined the over 290 delegates from over 30 participating nations.  The conference was informative in identifying the challenges NATO will face in the coming years.  The conference’s plenary session and panel discussion addressed innovation within NATO, hybridization, leadership, how culture shapes behaviors, and disruptive technologies in the decision-making process.  Conference workshops focused on military capabilities for the gray zone of conflict, future leadership, Countering Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-SUAS), Wargaming the Future, Military Uses of Artificial intelligence, Automation and Robotics (MUAAR), enabling Coherent Deterrence, Artificial Intelligence in Education, Training Exercise & Evaluation (ETEE), and Military Contribution to Human Security.

        The Human Security workshop provided PKSOI the opportunity to understand NATO-ACT’s current approach to Human Security and the potential direction the concept may go in the coming months.  Human Security, as defined by the United Nations, is an approach to assist member states in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood, and dignity of their people.  This includes efforts to protect civilians and to advance Women, Peace & Security.  The workshop comprised over 24 military and civilian personnel from NATO militaries, academia, private industry, and international and non-government organizations.  The aim of the workshop was to refine NATO’s military approach to Human Security by reflecting on what societal elements need to be present foster a more resilient state.  This includes questions such as:  How would an opponent attack those elements?  What would a military contribution to protect those elements look like?  Workshop participants were afforded the opportunity to experience the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) – Immersive Training Environment (CAAC-ITE), a virtual reality training simulation developed by C² Technologies Inc. in support of NATO-ACT’s Human Security Team.  The Human Security Team affirmed that the ideas presented by the workshop participants regarding threats, challenges, and the military’s role was tremendously beneficial in identifying new considerations and for the incorporation of Human Security “problems” in NATO’s upcoming experiment/exercise Steadfast Juniper Jackal 2020.

Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs represent a major challenge for practitioners because they require meticulous planning, extensive resources, and an extended period of time. While the US military theoretically possesses the organization, planning capacity, resources, and funding to implement DDR, assuming this responsibility unassisted would be an inferior strategy. To read more or download the document please click on links below.

Ms. Claire Hutchinson, NATO Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for Women, Peace and Security hosted a conference attended by over 70 academics and practitioners from the Protection of Civilians (PoC) community of interest. PoC within NATO includes all efforts taken to avoid, minimize and mitigate the negative effects that might arise from NATO and NATO-led military operations. It also includes efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. Panel members from NATO Allied Command Operations, Norwegian Defence College, NATO Office of Legal Affairs, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Center for Civilians in Conflict, and Humanity and Inclusion assessed past PoC efforts and identified potential future initiatives. PKSOI’s Sarah Petrin presented ideas on the way ahead to include NATO HQ, with a critical role to play in setting the future direction of the POC policy, sustaining robust engagement with the international community and civilian actors, including non-governmental and international organizations on the front lines of protecting civilians. Similarly, NATO should continue raising public awareness of PoC in countries where NATO is actively engaged. Both recommendations support the NATO Policy and Action Plan 2017-2020 that contains several objectives for a coherent, consistent, and integrated approach to PoC. The conference served as a start point for the incorporation of changes to PoC policy currently under consideration. The role and prioritization of associated cross-cutting topics (CCT), such as Cultural Property Protection (CPP) and human trafficking, are being examined.

 In conjunction with the PoC conference, PKSOI Analysts Sarah Petrin and George McDonnell met with members of the Norwegian Defence International Centre (NODEFIC) on September 17, 2009 in Oslo, Norway.  With LtCol (NO) John Otto Pederson – NODEFIC Director, Stian Kjeksrud – Senior Lecturer United Nations (UN) Peace Operations, and Sine Vorland Holen, Researcher and Senior Advisor, the group discussed mutual capabilities, priorities, and concerns.  In addition, areas of potential collaboration for Human Security training and leader development were identified.  NODEFIC is a knowledge and training center offering expertise and individual training on UN and NATO operations.  NODEFIC is a component of the Norwegian Staff College and is shifting its focus to state-centric threats to national security.

Stability Operations Institute, in coordination with Headquarters Department of Army G-3/5/7 conducted the 28th offering of the Army Security Cooperation Planners Course (ASCPC) from 23-27 September in the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks.

The ASCPC is offered three times a year at Carlisle Barracks and is designed to familiarize Army security cooperation staff officers with necessary planning, resourcing, execution, and evaluation programs and authorities in accordance with current Army regulations and public law. The target audience for the class is Army Service Component Command Security Cooperation Planners and associated staff but has robust participation from other Army Commands as well as Joint and Interagency staffs working in the Security Cooperation field of practice.

The course employs up to 30 different instructors. Leveraging its proximity to the National Capital Region, the course brings subject matter experts from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Headquarters Department of Army, State Department political-military bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development, Non-Governmental Organizations, partner nation Defense Attachés, among others, to teach the 39 blocks of instruction.

The ASCPC has taken on increased importance since the mandated reforms in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that include a requirement to professionalize the security cooperation workforce. To that end, the ASCPC is an Army Training Requirements & Resources System (ATRRS) recognized course and will fulfill the newly commissioned Defense Security Cooperation University’s workforce professionalization basic skills training requirement.

For more information on the Army Security Cooperation Planners Course contact:

Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI)
Upton Hall, Bldg 22
22 Ashburn Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013

Phone: 717.245.3722

DSN: 242.7322

Email: usarmy.carlisle.awc.list.pksoi-operations@mail.mil

This Strategic Planning for Peacekeeping and Stability Operations (PSO) Lessons Learned Report supports the release of Army Doctrine Publication ADP 3-07, Stability in July, 2019. As stated in ADP 1 The Army “organizes, trains, and equips the force to conduct offensive, defensive, and stability operations . . .” (ADP 3-07, p. v) overseas as part of, unified land operations, the Army’s contribution to the conduct of joint operations, or Unified Action. “Stability is the set of conditions in which a local populace regards its governance institutions as legitimate and its living situation as acceptable and predictable.” (ADP 3-07, p. 1-1)

To read or download the full report please click on the following links.

The Sea Service Leadership Association (SSLA), 32^nd Annual Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium (JWLS) and Department of the Army Leadership Academia Day Forum commenced 21-23 August 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

The Symposium is a “professional development and networking event for military women that provides military members and civilian employees of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard with access to mentorship and professional development assets. The conference aims to enhance diversity, recruitment and retention through presentation, discussions and training on leadership and professional growth within the Department of Defense (DoD).”[i]

The symposium theme was “Building Bridges, Changing Cultures” and highlighted “Diversity is the Force, Equality is the Goal, and Inclusion is the Way.” Day One offered education on programs and tools available to women veterans and those preparing career transition into the civilian sector. Day Two hosted Joint and International participants. Day Three events were separated by each service. Each day included presentations, panel discussions and Q&A. Vendors and women authors supported the event.    

COL Veronica G. Oswald-Hrutkay, PKSOI’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Army Lead attended along with over 1000 other participants from across the services that included international military women from South Korea, Sweden, Australia and Denmark. Her attendance was timely following the publication of the U.S. Strategy on WPS in June of 2019 in which the Department of Defense is working to complete a WPS Strategy and Implementation Plan. This new Strategy aims to “emphasize the need for DoD to look both inward at our talent management and force capacity building to increase joint readiness and outward as we work with partner nations to promote women and girl’s safety, equality, and meaningful participation around the world.”[ii] Doing so further supports the Department in building a more lethal force, strengthening alliances and attracting new partners, and reforming the department for greater performance and affordability.[iii]

The Symposium sought to create an atmosphere to inspire, motivate, mentor and educate military women in attendance. Joint service General Officers, senior enlisted, and junior grades spoke during individual leader presentations and within panel discussion activities. Centered within this were three broad agendas related to Policies, Programs and Processes of increasing integration of women in the military. Topics such as the existing maternity and paternity leave policies, promotion of leadership and development programs, and the need for improved institutional measurement and follow-up mechanisms were highlighted.

The importance of gender equality and identifying how to keep talent by first recognizing talent was stressed. The symposium provided tones, challenges and potentials women experience integrating across the U.S. military. Providing these valuable insights (perspectives) encourages women to seek out how they can make the difference within the military by leveraging the talents within them. As a way forward in preparation for the proposed June 2020 women’s symposium planned in the National Capital Region, Women, Peace, and Security looks to be a potential topic for discussion.

[i] Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium participant syllabus (August 2019)

[ii] United States Department of Defense Women, Peace, and Security Strategy and Implementation Plan (Shared Draft/Pre-decisional as of 15 August 2019).

[iii] Ibid.