# africom use seabees for stability operations

8/9/2019 # Africom Use Seabees for Stability operations

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Since World War II, Naval Mobile Constrc-tionBattalions (NMCBs or Seabees) havesupported the Navy's combat mission andpromoted goodwil through construction

,projects. In 2005 then-Secretaiy of Defense DonaldRumsfeld challenged all militar services to adaptexisting capabilities to advance "U.S. interests andvalues." Chief of Naval Operations Admiral GaryRoughead responded in 2007 with A Coopera-tive Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, directingthe Navy to deter war and encourage internationalstability by nonconventional means including eco-nomic development, governance, and establishingthe rule of law in developing and war-torn countnes.Although the Navy does not have offcial stability-operations doctrine, the CNO has recognized thatwe must step beyond our blue-water role to embrace21st-century counterinsurgency and state-buildingchallenges. This is a'made-to-order Seabee mission.The Department of Defense understands thatstability operations are too complex and costly tobe left exclusively to the armed forces: "Integrated'civilian and military efforts are key to successfulstability operations, (and the military) shall be pre-pared to work closely with. . . U.S. Departmentsand Agencies.'" Some may argue that stability,security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) isnot the: military's role. Buuhe military has alwaysperformed this mission. It is at present carryingout this mission, and other agencies are poorlyresourced to take the lead on it.For this reason, the Joint Chiefs of Staff haveidentified four broad categories of military activ-ity-combat, security, engagement, and relief andreconstruction-and stated that commanders wilconduct at least two of these fOLany military opera-tion.2 But Afghanistan and Iraq have reminded usthat the impact of combat, secunty, and engagementmay be ephemeral if unreinforced by humanitarianrelief and reconstruction. If one rapidly deployableunit could tackle these four functions simultane-ously, it would become the gold standard for boththe multiplicationnd the economy of force.The strategic purpose of stability operations isto "leverage the coercive and constructive capa-bilities of the military force to establish a safeand secure environment; facilitate reconciliationamong local or regional adversaries; .e'stablishpolitical, legal, social, and economic institutions;and facilitate the transition of responsibility to a .legitimate civil authority." In short, "successfulu.s. NAVY (ACE RHEAUME)Provincial reconstruction teams subcontract building projectsand do not handle miliary operations, whereas Seabees"molto is "We Build, We Fight" Here in Helmand Province,NMCB-5 prepares to pump concrete for a building foundation at

. Camp Leatherneck, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

stability operations are predicated on identify-ing and reducing the causes of instability."3 Thiscomplex mission requires a mix of skil sets fro~across the military, agencies of the federal govern-ment, civilian contractors, and nongovernmentalorganizations. The solution chosen for integratedSSTR missions has been the Army's provincialreconstruction teams (PRTs), descendants of theVietnam-era Civil Operations and Revolution-ary Development Support program. PRTs werefounded in Afghanistan soon after the 2001 ini-tiation of Operation Enduring Freedom and thenco-located in Iraq as of 2005.Provincial Reconstruction Teams

A PRT is a hybrid civilian-militaiy, inter-agencyorganization consisting of 60-90 personnel, struc-tured to execute the six operational capabilitiesidentified by U.S. Joint Forces Command as es-sential to effective SSTR operations: "creating asafe, 'secure environm6nt; delivering humanitar-ian assistance/disaster relief; reconstituting criticalinfrastructure and essential services; supportingeconomic development; establishing representa-tive, effective governrrent and the rule of law;conduct(ing) strategic communication."4 iBy 2007,28 PRTs in Iraq were staffed by 700people. In areas where force protection,is a con-cern, they are embedded with U.S. Army BrigadeCombat Teams or. Marine Regiments.A typical PRT includes the:following personnel:. Team leader. Deputy team leader Multinational force liaison officer~ Rule of law coordinator Provincial action offcer. Public diplomacy officer.. Agricultural advisor. Engineer. Development officer Governance team Civil affairs team Bilingual bicultural advisorThe teams have proven adaptable to the jointoperating environment, able to "address each situ-ation on its own terms, in ,its unique political andstrategic context, rather than attempting to fit thesituation to a preferred template."5 They are mis-sion oriented, or scalable, to fit the host nation'srequirements.6 For example, if it is determined thata host nation is strong on the rule of law, then thatcoordinator is not assigned to the team.The Seabee Stabilty Team

If the PRTs are proving effective, why proposea Seabee-led variant? The Seabee stability teamwould combine an NMCB with elements of aPROCEEDINGS . 69

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PRT, offering at least five distinct advantages over the'current doctrine and team composition: It would maximize Navy capabilities to pursue nationalobjectives in Afghanistan and Iraq. The self-sufficient, highly mobile force would be de~signed for an SSTR environment, unlike a PRT, to conductmilitary missions in unsecure environments.. Its organic construction capabilities would reduce con-tracting delays. These.trades are inherent to the Seabees,while supplying capacity-building vocational training tothe indigenous population. The team would be scalable and deployable within 48hours to any global emergent contingency mission. It would provide a U.S. approach to a PRT system thatin Afghanistan is a collage of national strategies, objec-tives, and resources.Security Contribution

A Seabee stability team centered on an NMCB wilfacilitate and enhance the contribution of the Navy ingeneral, and the Seabees in particular, to SSTR missions,thus fulfilling the requirement of DOD Directive 3000.05.

The team can be used"in all six phases of an operation,particularly in phase-zero shaping, phase-four stabilizing,and phase-five transfer of governance to civil authority.Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Fredom havedemonstrated the'need to conduct stabilization and secu-rity operations simultaneously, unlike in post-World WarII Germany and Japan, when the enemy was soundly de-feated and a secure environment was established beforeattention shifted to post-conflct reconstruction.The capabilties and skills of the Seabees are well suitedto supporting such a combination of missions, a considerableadvantage when compared to the Army's provincial recon-struction teams that "do not conduct military operations."7For this reason, Army PRTs lack an iritegrated secunty ele-ment, relying on attached units for secu-rity that can delay mission launch.In the Seabees, following the motto"We Build, We Fight/' military mis-sions are inherent to the organizationand key to ensuring self-sufficiency.Seabees can provide a convoy secu-rity element, a core mission that hasgreatly evolved in Iraq and Afghani-stan. As an integral part of SSTR,theproposed Seabee stability team couldoperate in a dual environment to sta-bilize a region before conflct begins,or increase governance capacity in apost -conflct environment.Seabees~incorporate local labor into appren-ticeship programs on construction projects.In al Asad, Iraq, this student enrolled in theIraqi Construction Apprentice Program, whichincluded training in carpentry, masonry, elec-trical wiring, and plumbing.

70 . July 2010

..In fact, the presence of a stability mission in the post-

conflct early years significantly lowers the risk: of warreigniting and promotes lasting peace.8 A Seabee battalionfitted with additional stability elements offers a. highlymobile team to fulfill the mission goals of the Secretaryof Defense and CNO.

\.Inherent Construction CapabiltiesReconstruction is the key component in any stabiliza-

tion mission. The PRT has no inherent construction tradesor skil sets. Its engineer is a coordinator of constructionprojects supervising a contractor. The procurement andsubsequent management of the contract based on U.S.government regulations is a nightmare of red tape and pro-cedural delays, totally incomprehensible to internationals.Worse, as experienced in Iraq, local contractors andtheir workers who are seen cooperating with U.S. govern-ment representatives have been intimidated,' murdered,forced to abandon the construction project site or splitdollars allocated for construction projects with insurgents.The Seabee stability team can. secure and oversee the site. to minimize the problems of coercion and corruption. ASeabee battalion, 'Rith its integral construction crew, hasno need to contract, while the quality of the work is guar-anteed. .rThe Office of the Special Inspector General for Af-ghanistan Reconstruction has identified multiple reasons(listed here) for construction contracting delays.9 TheSeabee can-do attitude can remedy these problems in thefollowing ways... "Afghan holidays": Seabees do not take holidays on de-ployment.. "Afghan National Army commanders demanding contrac-tor perform work outside the scope of the original contract":This is common in the construction industry. Extensivemeetings' are held before the contract is awarded to coor-

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cinate the wishes of the client, but circumstancesand ideas often change later. For example, thecontractor has been told what to build and theprice has been agreed to, but after the contractis let, the client wants to change the design. Thenew request usually costs more, because the clientinvariably wants more work done.. "Contractor delays in filling out the Synchro-nized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker,a DOD program for tracking contractors": Thispaperwork is not a requirement for Seabees.. "Contractor delays in getting Defense BaseAct Insurance": Seabees are insured by the U.S.govrriment. "Delays due to field engineer inexperience":Seabees are trained and experienced.. "Mobilization efforts not being executed in atimely manner": Seabees "can do.". "Re-solicitations due to high,' bids over pro-grammed amounts": Seabees do not bid. "Security issues": Seabees'have their own se-curity.. "Unreliable subcontractor": Seabees are boththe primary and the subcontractor.Putting the Populace to Work

Ever \ since Vietnam, Seabees have incorpo-rated local labor into apprenticeship programson construction projects. The civic action team,which routinely deploys to the island of Palauin the Pacific Ocean, apprentices locals on aone-year basis, with new groups following in acontinuous rotation. Thus the native populationhas an opportunity to learn new construction andadministrative skils through an on-site Seabeeproject manager.Projects that involve local labor offer signifi-cant benefits in a conflict-ndden society. The fact that theyteach a useful livelihood can be especially important indeflecting potential recruits from joining gangs or insur-gencies. It can also reintegrate former members of both ofthose into productive society. People take ownership andpride in a community project in which they played a part,and they wil defend it against insurgent attacks.Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Instituteand coauthor of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Missionto Promote Peace, One School at a Time (Penguin, 2007),has since 1993 built more than 80 schools and clinics inAfghanistan and Pakstan. Since the recent surge of attacksby the Taliban in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, only oneof these public buildings has been destroyed. CAl worksfor comlTunity support in placing schools and ensuresthat the people donate the land and labor to build them.In this type of community involvement, "villagers protectthe school with their lives."10

Finally, these projects jumpstart the community's micro-economy, allowing it to export construction skills and im-www.usnLorg

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A stabiliy mission in post-conflct years helps to deter flare-ups, and a Seabeebaltalion with additional stabiliy elements oilers a highly mobile stabiliy team.NMCB.133 constructed the Afghanistan National Army command's forward opera't-ing base in Delaram.

port materials that generate disposable income. This spursother parts of the economy. Using local labor under thesupervision of a Seabee project manager is a force multi-plier in a conflct region, and even the limited number ofSeabees can attend to many construction projects acrossan area of operation.

Mobilty, Scalabiliy and SustainabiltyThe proposed Seabee stability team organization, in-

corporating elements of a NMCB, wil be' deployable asa highly mobile and self-sustaining force. This article pro-poses using the Army's PRT organization and the guidanceof the U.S. Joint Forces Command as a foundation for theSeabee team, but in fact the Army's organization is large,cumbersome, and slow to mobilize. The counter,insurgentneeds to be as mobile as the adversary, and PRTs are de-signed for wars of attrition, not as quick-reaction forces.Speed and adaptability are critical for both counterin-surgency and disaster-relief operations, so, as much asthe U.S. government would like to have PRTs in every

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region to thwart insurgencies, the reality is that resourcesare constrained. Even though they do not conduct militaryoperations, some PRTs have a small convoy security ele-ment to transport civilians in the organization. An NMCBtypically has two convoy security teams. Because SSTRmissions are often conducted in hostile environments, aunit with organic military capabilities would provide moreoptions on the ground using a single unit. And a mobileelement with military capabilities that can quickly createa self-supporting base of operations is an added bonus.The commander of the First Naval Construction Divi-sion understands the Joint Chiefs of Staff's vision and hasdirected that all NMCBs wil train and organize as scalableunits. ii Scalability is a core Seabee characteristic that bat-

strategies, objectives, and resources. International coopera-tion in Afghanistan has been beneficial, but PRTs do not allread from the same sheet of music. Their approaches oftendiverge, and their foci are different, which can make coor-dination to achieve overall policy objectives problematic.A conventional PRT requires multiple interagency as-sets to sustain and secure it in-country. A Seabee stabilityteam is a self-suffcient, highly mobile organization. APRT attached to a Seabee battalion hands the combat-ant commander more assets available to execute multipleobjectives.

In addition to the inherent constrll;tion and securityelements of'an NMCB, the attached PRT element pro-vides expertise in justice and the rule of law, social andeconomic well-being, andgood governance elementsthat are lacking in conflictor politically fragile, devel-oping countries where theUnited States seeks to deterwar and shape events to pre-vent insurgency. If the U.S.government is to "leveragethe coercive and construc-tive capabilities" in stability~operations, a Seabee stabilityteam offers flexibility, stam-ina, and security. 13 ..

The Maritime Strategy calls for humanitarian missions for which the Seabees are well equipped-helping todeter potential recruits from joining insurgencies. These children drank from this main water source in thevillage of Nagad, Djibouti, before the Seabees arrived and separated the potable from the nonp!'table.

talion commanders have enforced for years, both duringpeacetime deployments and in times of war. If parts of theArmy's PRT model are integrated into an NMCB, the Sea-bee stability team' can be task-organized and able to deployin 48 hours to begin security and construction operations.The ability to rapidly launch construction and securityoperations will give a decided advantage in a counterin-surgency environment where popular support is critical tosuccess. No other force can match it. These advantagesprovide combatant commanders a critical tool to meet thechallenges of the "future operating environment. . . char-acterized by uncertainty, complexity, rapid change, andpersistent conflct."12~Uniformity

Finally, the Seabee stability team offers the prospect of auniform approach to SSTR. At present, PRTs in Afghanistanmake up a collage of national approaches, each with its own72 . July 2010

1. Department' of Defense Directive,3000.05, 4.4.2. Department of Defense, Capstone Con-cept for Joint Operations, Version 3.0 (15January 2009), p. 13.3. Headquarters Department of the Army,ed., FM 3-07: Stablty Operations (Wash-ington, D.C.: Department of the Army, Oc-tober 2008),2-2 andD-1.

'f 4. U.S Joint Forces Command, MiliarySupport to Stablzation, Security, Transi-tion, and Reconstruction Operations JointOperating Concept, Version 2.0 (December

2006), viii.5. Headquarters Department of the Army, FM 3-07: Stablty Operations, p. F-3.6. Department of Defense, Capstone Concept for Joint Operations Version 3.0, p. 13.7. Headquarters Department of the Army, FM 3-07: Stablty Operations, F-1.8. Paul COllier, Policy for Post-Conflict Societies: Reducing the Risks of RenewedConflct (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 17 March 2000), p. 8.9. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Report toCongress, 43. All quotes in the list following are from this document.10. Karin Rannow, "Educate Girls, Change the World," Central Asia Institute, Journeyof Hope (2008), p. 21.11. First Naval Construction Division, U.S. Navy Seabees Strategic Plan (Washington,D.C.: 1 sl Naval Construction Division, 2008), p. 1.12. Department of Defense, Capstone Concept for Joint Operations Version 3.0, p. 2.13. Headquarters Department of the Army, FM 3-07: Stability Operations, 2-2.

Lieutenant Commander Park is a Civil Engineer Corps ollcer servingan individual augmentee tour at CJTF-HOA, Djibouti, Africa, as thehumanitarian-assistance program manager. This article is based onhis 2009 master's thesis at the Naval Postgraduate School, which wonthe Hans Jones Award for Excellence In Thesis Research In SpecialOperations and Irregular Warfare or Security, Stabilzation, Transilonand Reconstruction.

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# africom use seabees for stability operations

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