Pentagon Considers Creating Postwar Peacekeeping Forces

Rumsfeld also has broached the idea of the United States contributing to some kind of standing international peacekeeping force. "I think it would be a good thing if our country was to provide some leadership for training of other countries' citizens who would like to participate in peacekeeping," he said in June.

But Cebrowski and other Pentagon advocates of a permanent U.S. contingent argue that fundamental changes in U.S. plans for combat have made establishment of a dedicated postwar force more necessary.

No longer do U.S. war plans envision slow buildups and prolonged fighting. Instead, as the invasion of Iraq demonstrated, the Pentagon is counting on rapid preparation and swift victory, with fewer combat troops needed as a result of advances in technology and improved coordination among the military services. The slimmed-down combat contingent means fewer troops available to deal with the aftermath.

"The idea is that the new stabilization and reconstruction force would serve as a kind of bridge between the end of major combat operations and the point at which a civilian-led, nation-building effort is up and running," said Hans Binnendijk, director of the National Defense University's Center for Technology and National Security Policy and a leader of the study that Cebrowski sponsored.

That 122-page study argued that the proposed two new divisions could be created without adding to the total size of the Army or siphoning troops from the Army's existing 10 active-duty combat divisions. Many of the soldiers called for in the plan, including those expert in engineering, policing, civil affairs, psychological operations and medical care, can be found in reserve units and are attached to Corps headquarters or other commands above the division level, the study concluded.

"Most of the necessary capabilities already exist," said Binnendijk, who during the Clinton administration served on the National Security Council as director of defense policy. "They just aren't organized effectively. This is more about refocusing, reorganizing and rebalancing forces than it is about buying a lot of new stuff."

As conceived by Cebrowski and the National Defense University team, the new force would have its own headquarters to help ensure postwar operations are not overlooked in prewar planning. It also would have a civilian component drawn from federal agencies and state and local jurisdictions. Ideally, too, it would include an international component, possibly contributed by NATO.

One advantage of establishing such a force, a Pentagon supporter noted, is its potential application beyond postwar operations. If joined with some infantry and aviation elements, for instance, it could be used for small-scale interventions in Africa and elsewhere, the official said.