Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 6 – May-June, 2012

U.S. Congress

Translating Policy Initiatives in to Successful Compliance

Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 5 – March-April, 2012

IED explosion in Balkh Province, Afghanistan.

Heavy burden falls on the Stability Operations Industry

Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011

Where will the sun rise for the next stability operation?

TEN years ago, private firms specializing in stability operations were not recognized as part of a larger, established industry.  Nevertheless, hundreds of contractors were working in the field supporting various UN and West African peacekeeping operations with logistics, aviation, construction, and security.  Other companies were professionalizing militaries, training police, building refugee camps, and providing large scale logistics in the Balkans.  With endless examples over the ages, the role of the private sector in these kinds of operations is hardly new, but increased international reliance on such services necessitated a united consortium to address issues arising in the industry.  Several compelling factors spurred the coalescing of the industry to the point where an association became an increasingly useful resource.

Perhaps the most compelling factor was an interest expressed by the more seasoned and professional companies within the nascent industry in differentiating their experience and quality from the rest. Clients, especially governments, are notorious for ignoring quality, professionalism, and capability, instead focusing solely on lowest price.  Vital international policies, particularly those related to humanitarian concerns, should be important enough to emphasize experience and quality over short-term costs to ensure that these missions succeed.  The reality is that nonsensical short-term savings efforts undermine better companies and proposals, and are the bane of our industry — and of successful missions. ISOA addresses that issue and educates governments and other clients on the value of quality in contingency operations.

Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 2 – September-October, 2011

ISOA President Doug Brooks visited Kabul this summer to find out more about the Afghan Tax Issue, among other topics.

IN July I travelled to Kabul to see how ISOA might address several issues that are plaguing our Member companies working in support of the international effort in Afghanistan. First, the Afghan government is requiring taxes from Western-funded companies for projects that should be tax-exempt; the second issue is the viability of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) which is optimistically planned to be fully operational and replacing Private Security Companies in just a few months.

In short, the dispute over when companies are tax exempt is directly undermining Western efforts for a stable Afghanistan; and few experts have any confidence that the APPF will be capable of replacing tens of thousands of security contractors which could leave infrastructure, foreign experts and thousands of reconstruction sites highly vulnerable.  With no change in these two situations, ultimate policy success may be unlikely in the face of so many impediments.

Compared to my previous visit to Afghanistan in 2006, I encountered significantly less optimism among the Afghan and Westerners serving the mission.  Some considerable improvements in the mission are necessary if we hope that Afghanistan will be truly operating and standing independently by 2014.