Previously, I discussed the role of providing services (health, education, sanitation, etc…) in counterinsurgency. After security, services represent a critical component in winning hearts and minds and strengthening the legitimacy of the state. With threats to personal security in Iraq on the decline (but still high), the provision of services is gaining increasing importance and this fact has not gone unnoticed by the US military.
Iraq contains a massive and intricate irrigation system of canals and pumping stations. The water it supplies and the flooding it controls are essential to the agriculturally dominated southern Iraq. Much of this canal system was left unusable after the initial 2003 invasion, either through direct damage or simply lack of maintenance. The fields the canal system supports are a sizable proportion of the Iraqi domestic economy.
The fact that a provisional reconstruction team (PRT) is repairing the irrigation canals and their pumping stations is mildly interesting, but nothing to write home about. However, what stands out is the fact that they are using a valuable security resource in an unorthodox way to do it:
In order to help the GoI monitor and maintain the canals, 2nd BCT Soldiers came up with a high-tech solution. In addition to Soldiers performing foot patrols and SoI guarding key points, 2nd BCT Soldiers regularly keep a watch on the canals with unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We’ve done this with every single canal,” Clegg said. “We had (the MoWR) supply us a map, showing the direction of flow. Then we stepped it up with UAV coverage. This actually allowed us to see where the water is flowing.” [Emphasis mine]
Clegg says the images are declassified and shown to MoRW officials every week to give them the information they need.
Simply put, the PRT is using UAV surveillance flights to monitor the status of irrigation canal flows. This is the first example I have found of UAVs being used in a non-security function to improve services to Iraqi civilians. The use of UAVs, a much prized resource amongst commanders, hints at the new importance placed on providing services (particularly water); a ’service surge’ if you will. It is also a reminder of the remarkable flexibility of the US military.
Today, the Combined Arms Center’s Inter Agency Symposium is taking place. The purpose of the gathering is admirable and ambitious:
It has become apparent that success in Twenty-first Century Warfare requires a “whole of government” or unified approach. The nation must utilize all elements of National Power to ensure victory in this era of persistent conflict. Over the next two days, members from across our government will meet to discuss these issues. It promises to be an insightful and spirited debate which will create a clearer picture for the way ahead as we conduct complex stability and support operations.
The symposium is being liveblogged and yesterday they solicited questions through the internet for the panel to answer. Able to see an opportunity when presented to me on a silver platter, I submitted the following question:
Following the notion of a “whole of government” approach, what role does the provision of health services play in ensuring victory in future conflicts?
Very kindly, panelist Dr. Stephen Redd, Naval Officer and Director of Pandemic Influenza Surveillance Unit, responded:
Providing healthcare is very important in all operations including stability operations. By caring for the health of the populance, a government shows it is responsive to the basic needs of its people. In addition, the provision of healthcare gives people confidence in their government. Most stability operations take place in states that are weak or failing. One definition of a failing state is its inability to provide for the needs of its people. Hence, by providing healthcare, a state begins to strengthen and demonstrate its ability to reverse some of the trends that led it to become a weak or failed state in the first place.
Dr. Redd’s response is excellent and demonstrates a firm understanding of the dynamics between health services and political stability. I agree whole heartedly. To win hearts and minds, governments must prove themselves as legitimate institutions. The provision of health services is a key opportunity to gain that legitimacy in a value-added, cost-effective manner. Hopefully, through more discussions like the CAC’s IA symposium, health services will take a more prominent role in future stability operations.