stability operations are predicated on identify-

tionBattalions (NMCBs or Seabees) have ing and reducing the causes of instability."3 This
supported the Navy's combat mission and complex mission requires a mix of skil sets fro~
Since promoted
World War goodwil through
II, Naval construction
Mobile Constrc- across the military, agencies of the federal govern-
,projects. In 2005 then-Secretaiy of Defense Donald ment, civilian contractors, and nongovernmental
Rumsfeld challenged all militar services to adapt organizations. The solution chosen for integrated
existing capabilities to advance "U.S. interests and SSTR missions has been the Army's provincial
values." Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary reconstruction teams (PRTs), descendants of the
Roughead responded in 2007 with A Coopera- Vietnam-era Civil Operations and Revolution-
tive Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, directing ary Development Support program. PRTs were
the Navy to deter war and encourage international founded in Afghanistan soon after the 2001 ini-
stability by nonconventional means including eco- tiation of Operation Enduring Freedom and then
nomic development, governance, and establishing co-located in Iraq as of 2005.
the rule of law in developing and war-torn countnes.
Although the Navy does not have offcial stability- Provincial Reconstruction Teams
operations doctrine, the CNO has recognized that A PRT is a hybrid civilian-militaiy, inter-agency
we must step beyond our blue-water role to embrace organization consisting of 60-90 personnel, struc-
21st-century counterinsurgency and state-building tured to execute the six operational capabilities
challenges. This is a'made-to-order Seabee mission. identified by U.S. Joint Forces Command as es-
The Department of Defense understands that sential to effective SSTR operations: "creating a
stability operations are too complex and costly to safe, 'secure environm6nt; delivering humanitar-
be left exclusively to the armed forces: "Integrated' ian assistance/disaster relief; reconstituting critical
civilian and military efforts are key to successful infrastructure and essential services; supporting
stability operations, (and the military) shall be pre- economic development; establishing representa-
pared to work closely with. . . U.S. Departments tive, effective governrrent and the rule of law;
and Agencies.'" Some may argue that stability, conduct(ing) strategic communication."4 i
security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) is By 2007,28 PRTs in Iraq were staffed by 700
not the: military's role. Buuhe military has always people. In areas where force protection,is a con-
performed this mission. It is at present carrying cern, they are embedded with U.S. Army Brigade
out this mission, and other agencies are poorly Combat Teams or. Marine Regiments.
resourced to take the lead on it. A typical PRT includes the:following personnel:
For this reason, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have . Team leader
identified four broad categories of military activ- . Deputy team leader
ity-combat, security, engagement, and relief and · Multinational force liaison officer
reconstruction-and stated that commanders wil ~ Rule of law coordinator
conduct at least two of these fOLany military opera- · Provincial action offcer
tion.2 But Afghanistan and Iraq have reminded us . Public diplomacy officer.
that the impact of combat, secunty, and engagement . Agricultural advisor
may be ephemeral if unreinforced by humanitarian . Engineer
relief and reconstruction. If one rapidly deployable . Development officer
unit could tackle these four functions simultane- · Governance team
ously, it would become the gold standard for both · Civil affairs team
the multiplicationänd the economy of force. · Bilingual bicultural advisor
The strategic purpose of stability operations is The teams have proven adaptable to the joint
to "leverage the coercive and constructive capa- operating environment, able to "address each situ-
bilities of the military force to establish a safe ation on its own terms, in ,its unique political and
and secure environment; facilitate reconciliation strategic context, rather than attempting to fit the
among local or regional adversaries; .e'stablish situation to a preferred template."5 They are mis-
political, legal, social, and economic institutions; sion oriented, or scalable, to fit the host nation's
and facilitate the transition of responsibility to a . requirements.6 For example, if it is determined that
legitimate civil authority." In short, "successful a host nation is strong on the rule of law, then that
coordinator is not assigned to the team.
u.s. NAVY (ACE RHEAUME)
Provincial reconstruction teams subcontract building projects The Seabee Stabilty Team
and do not handle miliary operations, whereas Seabees"¡
molto is "We Build, We Fight" Here in Helmand Province,
If the PRTs are proving effective, why propose
NMCB-5 prepares to pump concrete for a building foundation at a Seabee-led variant? The Seabee stability team
.¡¡ Camp Leatherneck, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. would combine an NMCB with elements of a

PROCEEDINGS . 69

..': ~:". :,:3~;t~::~'.~~:~~~;t;;:- !"\ ~


PRT, offering at least five distinct advantages over the'
current doctrine and team composition:
· It would maximize Navy capabilities to pursue national
objectives in Afghanistan and Iraq.
· The self-sufficient, highly mobile force would be de~
signed for an SSTR environment, unlike a PRT, to conduct
military 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 to
the indigenous population.
· The team would be scalable and deployable within 48
hours to any global emergent contingency mission.
· It would provide a U.S. approach to a PRT system that
in Afghanistan is a collage of national strategies, objec-
tives, and resources.
Security Contribution
A Seabee stability team centered on an NMCB wil
facilitate and enhance the contribution of the Navy in
general, 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 Fréedom have
demonstrated the'need to conduct stabilization and secu-
rity operations simultaneously, unlike in post-World War
II Germany and Japan, when the enemy was soundly de-
feated and a secure environment was established before
attention shifted to post-conflct reconstruction.
The capabilties and skills of the Seabees are well suited
to supporting such a combination of missions, a considerable
advantage when compared to the Army's provincial recon-
struction teams that "do not conduct military operations."7
For 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 organization
and key to ensuring self-sufficiency.
Seabees can provide a convoy secu-
rity element, a core mission that has
greatly evolved in Iraq and Afghani-
stan. As an integral part of SSTR,the
proposed Seabee stability team could
operate in a dual environment to sta-
bilize a region before conflct begins,
or increase governance capacity in a
post -conflct environment.
Seabees~incorporate local labor into appren-
ticeship programs on construction projects.
In al Asad, Iraq, this student enrolled in the
Iraqi Construction Apprentice Program, which
included 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 war
reigniting and promotes lasting peace.8 A Seabee battalion
fitted with additional stability elements offers a. highly
mobile team to fulfill the mission goals of the Secretary
of Defense and CNO.
\.
Inherent Construction Capabilties
Reconstruction is the key component in any stabiliza-
tion mission. The PRT has no inherent construction trades
or skil sets. Its engineer is a coordinator of construction
projects supervising a contractor. The procurement and
subsequent 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 and
their workers who are seen cooperating with U.S. govern-
ment representatives have been intimidated,' murdered,
forced to abandon the construction project site or split
dollars allocated for construction projects with insurgents.
The Seabee stability team can. secure and oversee the site
. to minimize the problems of coercion and corruption. A
Seabee battalion, 'Rith its integral construction crew, has
no need to contract, while the quality of the work is guar-
anteed.
.r
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Af-
ghanistan Reconstruction has identified multiple reasons
(listed here) for construction contracting delays.9 The
Seabee can-do attitude can remedy these problems in the
following 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. Extensive
meetings' are held before the contract is awarded to coor-
www.usnLorg
post- cÍinate the wishes of the client, but circumstances
i war and ideas often change later. For example, the
ali on
contractor has been told what to build and the
ighly price has been agreed to, but after the contract
etary is let, the client wants to change the design. The
new request usually costs more, because the client
invariably wants more work done.
. "Contractor delays in filling out the Synchro-
liza- nized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker,
'ades a DOD program for tracking contractors": This
;tion paperwork is not a requirement for Seabees.
and . "Contractor delays in getting Defense Base
19.S. Act Insurance": Seabees are insured by the U.S.
pro- govèrriment.
hals. · "Delays due to field engineer inexperience":
land Seabees are trained and experienced.
'ern- . "Mobilization efforts not being executed in a
~red, timely manner": Seabees "can do."
~plit . "Re-solicitations due to high,' bids over pro-
~nts. grammed amounts": Seabees do not bid.
site · "Security issues": Seabees'have their own se-
n. A curity.
thas . "Unreliable subcontractor": Seabees are both
uar- the primary and the subcontractor.

tAf- Putting the Populace to Work

!ons Ever \ since Vietnam, Seabees have incorpo- ~¡¡

The rated local labor into apprenticeship programs

¡the on construction projects. The civic action team,
which routinely deploys to the island of Palau
Ide-
in the Pacific Ocean, apprentices locals on a
one-year basis, with new groups following in a
rac-
! continuous rotation. Thus the native population A stabiliy mission in post-conflct years helps to deter flare-ups, and a Seabee
ICI":
has an opportunity to learn new construction and baltalion with additional stabiliy elements oilers a highly mobile stabiliy team.
,ive administrative skils through an on-site Seabee NMCB.133 constructed the Afghanistan National Army command's forward opera't-
i
)or- project manager. ing base in Delaram.
I

. Projects that involve local labor offer signifi-

cant benefits in a conflict-ndden society. The fact that they port materials that generate disposable income. This spurs
teach a useful livelihood can be especially important in other parts of the economy. Using local labor under the
deflecting potential recruits from joining gangs or insur- supervision of a Seabee project manager is a force multi-
gencies. It can also reintegrate former members of both of plier in a conflct region, and even the limited number of
those into productive society. People take ownership and Seabees can attend to many construction projects across
pride in a community project in which they played a part, an area of operation.
and they wil defend it against insurgent attacks.
Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute Mobilty, Scalabiliy and Sustainabilty
and coauthor of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission The proposed Seabee stability team organization, in-
to Promote Peace, One School at a Time (Penguin, 2007), corporating elements of a NMCB, wil be' deployable as
has since 1993 built more than 80 schools and clinics in a highly mobile and self-sustaining force. This article pro-
Afghanistan and Pakstan. Since the recent surge of attacks poses using the Army's PRT organization and the guidance
by the Taliban in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, only one of the U.S. Joint Forces Command as a foundation for the
of these public buildings has been destroyed. CAl works Seabee team, but in fact the Army's organization is large,
for comlTunity support in placing schools and ensures cumbersome, and slow to mobilize. The counter,insurgent
that the people donate the land and labor to build them. needs to be as mobile as the adversary, and PRTs are de-
In this type of community involvement, "villagers protect signed for wars of attrition, not as quick-reaction forces.
the school with their lives."10 Speed and adaptability are critical for both counterin-
Finally, these projects jumpstart the community's micro- surgency and disaster-relief operations, so, as much as
economy, allowing it to export construction skills and im- the U.S. government would like to have PRTs in every

.
www.usnLorg PROCEEDINGS . 71
¡irg

.;....:x:.~~:ú.'. .S~S~SS'~:¡S:~ ~ , 2/ß


region to thwart insurgencies, the reality is that resources
are constrained. Even though they do not conduct military
operations, some PRTs have a small convoy security ele-
ment to transport civilians in the organization. An NMCB
typically has two convoy security teams. Because SSTR
missions are often conducted in hostile environments, a
unit with organic military capabilities would provide more
options on the ground using a single unit. And a mobile
element with military capabilities that can quickly create
a 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 has
directed that all NMCBs wil train and organize as scalable
units. ii Scalability is a core Seabee characteristic that bat-
The Maritime Strategy calls for humanitarian missions for which the Seabees are well equipped-helping to
deter potential recruits from joining insurgencies. These children drank from this main water source in the
village of Nagad, Djibouti, before the Seabees arrived and separated the potable from the nonp!'table.
talion commanders have enforced for years, both during
peacetime deployments and in times of war. If parts of the
Army's PRT model are integrated into an NMCB, the Sea-
bee stability team' can be task-organized and able to deploy
in 48 hours to begin security and construction operations.
The ability to rapidly launch construction and security
operations will give a decided advantage in a counterin-
surgency environment where popular support is critical to
success. No other force can match it. These advantages
provide combatant commanders a critical tool to meet the
challenges of the "future operating environment. . . char-
acterized by uncertainty, complexity, rapid change, and
persistent conflct."12
~ Lieutenant Commander Park is a Civil Engineer Corps ollcer serving
Uniformity
Finally, the Seabee stability team offers the prospect of a
uniform approach to SSTR. At present, PRTs in Afghanistan
make up a collage of national approaches, each with its own
72 . July 2010
1
strategies, objectives, and resources. International coopera-
tion in Afghanistan has been beneficial, but PRTs do not all
read from the same sheet of music. Their approaches often
diverge, 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 stability
team is a self-suffcient, highly mobile organization. A
PRT attached to a Seabee battalion hands the combat-
ant commander more assets available to execute multiple
objectives.
In addition to the inherent constrll;tion and security
elements of'an NMCB, the attached PRT element pro-
vides expertise in justice and the rule of law, social and
economic well-being, and
good governance elements
that are lacking in conflict
or politically fragile, devel-
oping countries where the
United States seeks to deter
war and shape events to pre-
vent insurgency. If the U.S.
government is to "leverage
the coercive and construc-
tive capabilities" in stability
~
operations, a Seabee stability
13 ..
team offers flexibility, stam-
ina, and security.
1. Department' of Defense Directive,
3000.05, 4.4.
2. Department of Defense, Capstone Con-
cept for Joint Operations, Version 3.0 (15
January 2009), p. 13.
3. Headquarters Department of the Army,
ed., FM 3-07: Stabílty Operations (Wash-
ington, D.C.: Department of the Army, Oc-
tober 2008),2-2 andD-1.
'f 4. U.S Joint Forces Command, Miliary
Support to Stabílzation, Security, Transi-
tion, and Reconstruction Operations Joint
Operating Concept, Version 2.0 (December
2006), viii.
5. Headquarters Department of the Army, FM 3-07: Stabílty 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: Stabílty Operations, F-1.
8. Paul COllier, Policy for Post-Conflict Societies: Reducing the Risks of Renewed
Conflct (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 17 March 2000), p. 8.
9. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Report to
Congress, 43. All quotes in the list following are from this document.
10. Karin Rannow, "Educate Girls, Change the World," Central Asia Institute, Journey
of 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.
an individual augmentee tour at CJTF-HOA, Djibouti, Africa, as the
humanitarian-assistance program manager. This article is based on
his 2009 master's thesis at the Naval Postgraduate School, which won
the Hans Jones Award for Excellence In Thesis Research In Special
Operations and Irregular Warfare or Security, Stabilzation, Transilon
and Reconstruction.
www.usni.org