DAVID MOSINSKI

Enlightening accounts from a US Army soldier covering an unusual range of assignments, training events, operations, and engagements with America’s allies over a span of five decades. Readers may well be surprised by revelations of certain underlying factors behind the success or failure of recent US military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, and Liberia. Additionally, readers will find numerous life lessons applicable to soldiers and non-soldiers alike.

This report provides lessons from a broad spectrum of SSR and DDR interventions – covering various countries of Africa, as well as Timor Leste.  The report places a “spotlight” on DDR in the Lake Chad Basin region with a special section of contributions from personnel assigned to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

“Stage-setting” and “right-sizing” are critical to the success of any major Stability operation.  The U.S. Government should learn the right lessons, and the right lessons do not come from Iraq or Afghanistan.  Instead, they can be found in Operation Joint Endeavor and the Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995-1996.  Here “Stage-setting” and “right-sizing” were done smartly, and the Stability operation was a resounding success.

This publication provides a selection of lessons on Transitional Public Security (TPS) from several past operations: OEF, OIF, Joint Endeavor, Uphold Democracy, and Just Cause/Promote Liberty.  TPS is a military-led effort to restore civil security, protect the civilian population, and maintain public order until the Joint Force is able to transfer that responsibility to a competent authority.

This publication provides a selection of lessons covering certain complexities & challenges of peacekeeping operations, including: protecting peacekeepers, reducing violence, optimizing robustness, conducting strategic communications, advancing inclusive mediation, managing transitions, and improving environmental impacts.

This publication provides lessons on 6 leadership topics – moral and ethical decisions critical to operational success, understanding decisive change, preparation and repetition, knowledge management, coalition partner leadership, and junior leader development – all of which were topics of the 10th International Lessons Learned Conference.

This publication showcases the value of strategic communication / messaging in peace & stability operations.  It provides lessons from the following operations: Operation Atlantic Resolve (Eastern Europe), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) (Afghanistan), Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P), Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia-Herzegovina), the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Liberia (UNMIL), Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector (OOD/OUP) (Libya), and Operation United Assistance (OUA) (West Africa).

This report answers the following question: "Are there job creation models/policies/initiatives that have been applied in Africa and elsewhere that could be transferrable to other contexts?  Even if not perfectly transferrable, what programs/insights can inform and educate those seeking to create jobs in conflict-affected states?"

This publication presents a selection of lessons on "building stable governance" – with examples from Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and other areas.  Lessons discuss local understanding, local ownership, security, conflict resolution, decentralization, public servants, state-citizen relations, and 'steady state' sustainment.  This compendium offers an extensive bibliography and several annexes on governance-related topics.

This publication includes lessons from the following FHA operations: the USG response to the Ebola epidemic of West Africa in 2014-2015; disaster relief for the Philippines in the aftermath of the November 2013 super typhoon; assistance to Japan following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami; disaster relief for Pakistan after the July 2010 floods; disaster relief for Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake; and, assistance to Georgia in 2008 in the wake of the Russia-Georgia conflict.

This publication examines certain complex operations – including Operation Serval in Mali, Operation Unified Protector in Libya, the African Union’s operations in Somalia, international operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and U.S-Philippines partnered operations in the southern Philippines.  It brings to light the imperative of “unity and resolve” among partners – for gaining the upper hand over spoilers and their networks, and for bringing lasting peace/stability to nations in need.

This publication provides lessons on the importance of civilian protection during peacekeeping and stability operations, challenges for international forces, and actions taken to enhance mission success.  Actions such as command attention, soldier training, promulgating lessons learned, and corrective actions for eliminating civilian casualties may become necessities.

This publication provides key lessons with regard to medical assistance and health services for restoring the social well-being of a nation in the aftermath of disaster or conflict.  In health sector activities, it is imperative that contributing players – government civilian & military organizations, coalition partners, NGOs and other international actors – gain an awareness of each other’s capabilities and contributions early on, and that they cooperate/collaborate in both planning and execution.

This publication provides a selection of ten Strategic Lessons: (1) Private Sector Economic Investment, (2) Building Security Ministries, (3) Anti-Corruption Strategy,
(4) Cultural Understanding, (5) Civ-Mil Cooperation, (6) DDR, (7) IDP planning, (8) HN Police Force Development, (9) HN Ministerial Development, and (10) Transition.

This publication (volume 2) addresses the following Strategic lessons: (11) Strategic Messaging, (12) Leader Attributes, (13) Protection of Civilians, (14) Human Domain, (15) Radiological Hazards in Disaster Relief (16) Information Sharing in Disaster Relief, (17) USG Framework for Foreign Disaster Relief, (18) Light Footprint Approach,
(19) Blue and Green Forces Operating in Tandem, and (20) Information Gathering and Analysis (Intelligence).

“Economic stabilization” relates to the process of establishing the policies and regulatory framework to support basic economic activity and development in a post-conflict environment.  Various complexities of economic stabilization – finding ways to immediately engage local groups in reconstruction efforts; providing jobs for the unemployed and underemployed; conducting comprehensive economic assessments; identifying which local businesses, projects, and economic activities should be resourced; maximizing participation from the private sector and multinational corporations; etc. – mandate that civilian and military practitioners work together from initial planning through all phases of execution.

This study answers the question: "How effective were UN peacekeeping operations in the disputed areas of "Yugoslavia" in 1992?  The study embraces three themes. First, it explores the causes of the Yugoslav Conflict. Second, it analyzes the UN peacekeeping operation in terms of change over time -- focusing on changes to conditions, objectives, and resources. Finally, it assesses the performance of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) on each of its eleven missions.