Civil Affairs framework for executing governance

Abstract

Although the U.S. Army Civil Affairs (CA) Regiment is charged with assessing and implementing governance tasks in conflict and immediate post-conflict areas, it lacks adequate education and tools to do the job properly. This lack of proficiency has led to an inability to consistently and effectively execute governance operations prior to handing off this task to host-nation (HN) government officials. Our thesis corrects CA's governance training deficit by providing a four-step process that guides the user through the execution of a governance mission. Included in the process is an instructional guide that CA teams can use as they train and deploy that will aid them in advising, assisting and assessing regional and local governance in conflict and post-conflict environments. The thesis compiles the best governance practices and assessment techniques of international and U.S. institutions, but tailors these ideas to the specific contexts of CA units working at the local level. Our approach will allow CA units to properly assess and promote good governance while enabling for a seamless handoff to HN officials and international and U.S. aid organizations to foster long-term good governance. Additionally, this thesis includes a recommendation for a governance period of instruction (POI) within CA.