The Closers Part VI: NGOs and IOs
The Closers Part VI: NGOs and IOs
by Colonel Gary Anderson
Download the Full Article: The Closers Part VI: NGOs and IOs
Nongovernmental and International Organizations (NGOs and IOs) will likely be present during counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Learning to deal with them effectively is a required skill. They can be helpful, benign, or present problems depending on how they are approached and how they are dealt with by the local commander and Reconstruction Team leadership. As in dealing with anyone from a different culture, some attempt needs to be made to understand where they are coming from and their motivations. Make no mistake, they are coming from a different culture from the military, and will likely have a different mindset from most Reconstruction Team civilian employees who will tend to come from a more bureaucratic culture than the NGOs are used to.
Download the Full Article: The Closers Part VI: NGOs and IOs
Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps Colonel. He was the Senior Governance Officer for a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq from 2009-10. He is an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
