Peace operations and counterinsurgency: The United States military and change

This dissertation examines two eras in which the armed forces faced the prospect of adjusting to operations other than war (OOTW): counterinsurgency in the early 1960s and peace operations in the early 1990s. Although the military has had considerable experience over its history with various types of OOTW, doctrinal treatment and acceptance has been minimal. This study compares the military's reaction to counterinsurgency to its more recent accommodation to peace operations. Unlike the failure to incorporate counterinsurgency in the 1960s, lessons from peace operations have been institutionalized within the armed forces and have led to important adjustments in doctrine and training.; This study focuses on the changes in the United States Army that followed participation in the peace operations of the 1990s in order to document those developments. In turn, these developments raise questions about the potential for more fundamental changes in the military. This is important from a policy standpoint since the crises that precipitate peace operations are expected to continue to occur for the next fifteen to twenty years. Theoretically, this study's relevance is that it addresses the question of change in military organizations and explores the nature and circumstances of such change.; The dissertation reviews organization theory, focusing on the concept of change, and the literature on change in military organizations. It finds that many studies rely on a single factor external to the military to explain change: civilian intervention. They also concentrate on sweeping, fundamental change. Focusing on peripheral change in secondary missions, this study suggests a more integrative approach in which a learning cycle model is combined with contextual factors that may facilitate or impede organizational change. The body of the dissertation summarizes the key operations in the two eras and explores the depth and breadth of change in United States Army doctrine, and training and educational programs.