There is a solid precedent for civil-military cooperation in addressing domestic problems. Army Regulation 28-19 1 developed under the leadership of Secretary Howard "Boll Callaway in the Ford Administration and issued in 1975, authorized a "Domestic Action Program." The purpose of the program was to authorize "use of Department of the Army human and physical resources to assist and support the continued improvement and development of society." Under this program, local military commanders helped communities with activities such as fixing up recreation facilities and conducting summer programs for disadvantaged young people. The program, however, was decentralized, and, of course, in many respects needed to be decentralized. But it had very little management emphasis from the Army's leadership. In the 1980s, as the Army increased its focus on military training, interest in the Domestic Action Program faded, and the regulation was rescinded in 1988. ASSIST MEETING DOMESTIC NEEDS WITH INNOVATIVE MILITARY TRAINING As we restructure our Armed Forces over the next decade, the attention of DoUs civilian and military leadership must remain focused on training the Armed Forces for their primary mission which is the military mission. But that goal, in my view, is compatible with enhancing the military's ability to assist in meeting domestic needs. Creative commanders have always devised numerous innovative activities for their units-beyond routine training-to build morale and also to build unit cohesion. Community service projects present an excellent opportunity for them to do so while providing important services to our society. The military involvement in counter-narcotics activities is a good example of a mission that enhances military skills, helps to address an important domestic problem, and improves the morale of the people involved. During markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993, 1 intend to offer a proposal to authorize the Armed Forces to engage in appropriate community service programs. I would like to outline the basic concept today, in order to encourage comments and suggestions from my colleagues and from the Department of Defense before the final details are developed during the markup. In other words, Mr. President, I'm not locked in concrete. I'm throwing outthese concepts today. I know Senator Warner has been looking on behalf of the minority at a number of concepts and I'm hoping that by stimulating the thinking in this area we can refine this proposal in the next two or three weeks. PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OF A CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATIVE ACTION PROGRAM Mr. President, I want to stress at the outset that any such programs must be governed by three essential principles: 1. Any such project must be undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the military mission of the unit in question. 2. The project must fill a need that is not otherwise being met, and must not compete with the private sector or with services provided by other government agencies. 3. The program cannot become a basis for justifying additional overall military expenditures or for retaining excess military personnel. Projects should be undertaken only with personnel, resources, and facilities that exist for legitimate military purposes. Building on the Army's experience with its Domestic Action Program, I would envision a new Civil-Military Cooperative Action Program with the following objectives: First, enhancing individual and unit training and morale through meaningful community involvement. Second, encouraging cooperation between civilian and military sectors of our society. Third, advancing equal opportunity in the nation and helping to alleviate racial tension and conflict and strife and misunderstandings in our nation. Fourth, enriching the civilian economy by transfer of technological advances and manpower skills. Fifth, improving the ecological environment and economic and social conditions of the areas that are within the reach of our existing military base structure. And, finally, increasing the opportunities for disadvantaged citizens, particularly children, to receive employment, training, education, as well as recreation. The program would be organized under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel. I believe that we should give the military departments and the Department of Defense broad discretion to manage the program in a manner consistent with their military missions, who would in turn grant flexibility to local commanders in the implementation of the program. Every base will be different--different missions, different talents, different capabilities, different geographic areas. There won't be one model for the country. To ensure that projects meet important community needs, and do not compete with the private sector and other government organizations, local installations would establish Advisory Counails on Civil-Military Cooperation. In these groups, officials from the military installations, representatives of appropriate local, state, and federal agencies, leaders of civic and social service organizations, and business and labor representatives from the private sector would meet to provide advice to local commanders in planning and executing civilian military projects. Mr. President, if we commit ourselves to it, this plan, as I view it, can make a major contribution to community restoration and regeneration efforts across the country. The American taxpayers have invested in and have built a great stockpile of innovative ideas, knowledge, trained, talented people, and equipment in the military over the years. These resources, if properly matched to local needs and coordinated with civilian efforts, can make a useful contribution to addressing the problems we face in blighted urban areas, in neglected rural regions, in schools, and elsewhere. Back to Table of Contents Domestic Missions for the Armed Forces Back to SSI List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by US Army War College. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com