Finally, I want to try and bridge the gap between preplanned ‘cold Humanitarian Assistance missions and Peace Support Operations or whatever term the jargoneers in the five-cornered building are using this week.

Every, mission involving UN/NGOs/military (US and Coalition) I have served in or analyzed has labored at the beginning. It’s to be expected, it is the fog of war. But there are some deeper intrinsic reasons for this initial dysfunctional relationship. They might best be examined under the general rubric of communications. This is not a reference to ITC or radio communications, though they are always a bone of contention. The key is how to forge a working relationship, CIMIC, rapidly and efficiently, in a time of great stress. How to weld together a number of organizations often multi-national and multi-cultural in nature and with deeply differing views as to how to achieve a successful outcome.