U.S. Army and Constabulary Operations

The mission of the Army is to fight and win our Nations wars. Inherent in that mission is to win the peace after the war. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Army leadership stated that American soldiers would not police Iraq, but that Iraqis would be responsible for policing themselves and building their own nation. International law and U.S. doctrine state that the U.S. military is responsible for policing, stability and reconstruction of Iraq. As OIF, like OEF in Afghanistan, is a campaign in the Global War on Terror, it is likely that the U.S will be involved in another constabulary and nation building operation. This monograph argues that an analysis of successful U.S. constabulary and nation building operations applied to the contemporary operating environment will provide a framework to develop a specialized force based off of an analysis of the doctrine, organization, training, leadership, personnel, facilities and material (DOTLPFM) required to create such a force. The Pentagon released Pentagon Directive 3000 in November of 2005 directing that stability and nation building operations are equal to combat operations in importance, requiring that they are addressed across all Department of Defense activities with plans for security and funding for reconstruction. More importantly, the U.S. Army needs a unit that is specifically trained in conducting constabulary and nation building operations. This unit has to be trained and resourced in conducting security operations, establishing governance and participation, improving social and economic well-being, and implementing judiciary reforms. A systematic analysis of the U.S war with Mexico, Reconstruction in the South during and after the U.S. Civil War, Occupation of the Philippines, Post World War Two occupation of Germany, and operations in Iraq identify how commanders are able to meet requirements that they are not trained or resourced for with conventional forces but are required to successfully execute in ord