US Foreign Police Advising: The Case of Vietnam

Foreign assistance in policing is not a new phenomenon, but often we fail to consider the past, while planning for the future. Since 1989, the role of the US in several stability operations has increased, such as: Panama (1989), Somalia (1992), Haiti (1994, 2004), Bosnia (1995), Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and Iraq (2003). Additionally, US military and civilian organizations have been used to rebuild military and police forces and to provide logistics to international forces (El Salvador, 1991; East Timor, 1999). With the intention of avoiding past mistakes in future stability activities, we have endeavored to capture the lessons from Vietnam policing development. The operational environment in Vietnam was similar to Afghanistan and Iraq, in that police development was initiated during the conflict, in a dangerous environment that was difficult for civilian development actors to work in, thus requiring a large military police advising contingent. Police advising in what was then RoV also incorporated USAID and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) advisors, as well as those from other countries, but that is beyond the scope of this anthology of lessons learned. The lessons derived from the US intervention in Vietnam have important implications for foreign advising today and in the future.

The genesis of this project stemmed from a unique opportunity to connect with the highly respected Colonel (COL) Charles Nguyen Tan Cuon, a retired police administrator from Vietnam. COL Nguyen was born in 1925 in Saigon, the son of the former Vietnam Minister of Security. With public service and safety in mind, he quickly rose through the ranks of the police force, holding several highly esteemed positions throughout his career and commanding over 5,000 police.

COL Nguyen’s policing experiences are unique. First, COL Nguyen was a police leader during peace and war times. He commanded a police force during the Vietnam War, where police were the first line of defense against insurgents, fighting and collecting intelligence for the military in addition to their regular duties of keeping order and responding to crimes. Second, COL Nguyen engaged with multiple foreign entities who were either fighting the Viet Cong, offering police assistance, or both. While managing his police units, he also negotiated with Australian forces in his district and worked with police advisors from the US, among other nations providing service to South Vietnam, officially known as the Republic of Vietnam (RoV) at that time. COL Nguyen developed a close relationship with some of his advisors, including Mr. Frank Clark from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). When Saigon fell, COL Nguyen fled with his family to the US, settling in Rockville, Maryland.

With his breadth of experiences leading various aspects of a police force during peace and war times, COL Nguyen has much to contribute to our understanding of policing, especially foreign police advising. His wealth of knowledge is particularly applicable to US foreign police advising today, given the US contribution to rebuilding police forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as service to policing agencies in various other countries. Thus, the US Army War College organized a series of interviews with COL Nguyen and his USAID advisor, Mr. Frank Clark. Their experiences are interwoven with academic literature in the chapters to follow.

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Lesson Report: March 2020 Consolidating Gains

This edition of the PKSOI Lessons Learned Report explores the challenges and complexities of Consolidating Gains, an Army strategic role that sets conditions for enduring political and strategic outcomes to military operations. (p. 3-5, ADP 3-0, Operations) Consolidating gains is integral to the conclusion of all military operations, and it requires deliberate planning, preparation, and resources to ensure sustainable success. This planning should ensure US forces operate in a way that actively facilitates achievement of the desired post-hostilities end state and transition of control to legitimate authorities.

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

US Host Joint Effort Supporting Woman, Peace, Security in Jordan

Members representing the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Embassy, Canadian Armed Forces and Jordan’s Directorate of Military Women’s Affairs gathered for a Gender Integration Working Group, hosted by the Civil Liaison Team-Jordan (CLT-J), Civil Affairs Support Detachment-U.S. Army Central (CASD-USARCENT), Jan. 23, 2020 at Joint Training Center-Jordan (JTC-J). 

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

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

Lesson Report: December 2019

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.

2019 International Concept Development and Experimentation (ICD&E) Conference – Madrid, Spain

  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.

Mr. George McDonnell, PKSOI Analyst experiences the Children
and Armed Conflict (CAAC) – Immersive Training Environment
(CAAC-ITE).  The CAAC-ITE tool helps operationalize NATO
CAAC efforts by providing an intuitive platform to teach military
personnel basic CAAC principles.

        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.

PKSOI Analyst Sarah Petrin guides her breakout team through
the identification of possible threats to Human Security.
Workshop attendees divided into two teams to address issues
presented by the workshop facilitators.

Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration: A Primer for Military Practitioners

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.

“Reflecting and Reshaping Protection of Civilians in Nato”

From L to R: Ms. Sine Vorland Holen, NODEFIC Researcher and Senior Advisor; Mr. Stian Kjeksrud, NODEFIC Senior Lecturer United Nations (UN) Peace Operations; LtCol (NO) John Otto Pederson, NODEFIC Director; Mr. George McDonnell, PKSOI Analyst; and Ms. Sarah Petrin, PKSOI Analyst.

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.

 From L to R: Ms. Virpi Levomaa, The Finnish Defence Forces International Centre; Ms. Sarah Petrin, PKSOI; Ms. Beatrice Godefroy, Center for Civilians in Conflict; Mr. Dominik Horn, Advisor – NATO HQ, Ms. Clare Hutchinson, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security; and Mr. George McDonnell, PKSOI. 

 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.

PKSOI host Army Security Cooperation Planners Course

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

Lesson Report: September 2019

Officers participating in Exercise Regional Cooperation 2019 (RC19), collaborate on a mission plan
in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, August 13, 2019. RC19 promotes security and stability in the Central and
South Asian region and includes participants from Mongolia, Tajikistan, United States and Uzbekistan and observers from Pakistan. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. Jennifer Shick)

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.