The Fate of the Civilian Surge in a Changing Environment | Page 30

exercises to introduce new or refined analytical tools, and develop options for coordination in addressing regional and transnational
threats, where the biggest gaps exist between
agency cultures and platforms. Crucially, task
force leaders should direct agencies to identify resources for implementing those planning
outcomes determined to be feasible, acceptable and suitable to achieving long-term policy
objectives. By tying resources more explicitly
to planning processes and outcomes, the task
force can improve upon recent experiments
with joint interagency planning in the Sahel
region of northwest Africa, the Horn of Africa,
and Syria. While those earlier efforts succeeded
in clarifying whole-of-government objectives,
implementation options, and vulnerabilities
(ends, ways and risks), they failed to generate the resources (means) required to follow
through – thus negating much of the practical
value of such complex, time-consuming, and
culturally challenging efforts.
3. Perform a formal interagency after action review (AAR) on USG R&S activities outside of
Iraq and Afghanistan (given the multitude of
research already done on those two cases). The
purpose of this effort would be to facilitate and
inform the new generation of coordination now
taking place in CVE, atrocities prevention, and
other Peace and Security focus areas.76 Focus
on past efforts that encouraged and supported
regional planning and implementation, which
is a recurring weak point in civilian agencies’
capabilities. To ensure participation, the AAR

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