Center for Stability and Development

In 2006, CNA launched the Center for Stability and Development (CSD) to focus on the study of:

Irregular warfare (e.g., insurgency and counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, stability operations, terrorism and counterterrorism)
Development of indigenous forces (e.g., security force assistance, foreign internal defense, building partner capacity)
Economic and governance development of war-torn states
“Phase IV” reconstruction efforts

CSD’s goal is to support decision-makers charged with planning, conducting, and assessing stability and development operations with objective analysis grounded in an understanding of actual operations. Through CNA's field program, CSD has deployed analysts to Somalia, Haiti, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa, and with military commands around the world. Our analysts often work on-site to provide direct, real-time analytic support to tactical and operational military leaders, as well as other government and non-governmental agencies. These experiences allow CSD analysts to gain unique perspectives on current operations that we in turn use to provide insightful, actionable advice to high-level decision makers on issues of strategic importance.

Recent studies by CSD have explored the following:

Governance in Helmand, Afghanistan
Pakistan’s war against the Taliban
Village Stability Operations conducted by Marine Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Afghanistan
Pakistan border issues
Religious leader engagement in Afghanistan
ISAF’s Strategic and Campaign Assessment process
Integration of SOF and general purpose forces in counterinsurgency
Marine Corps advising and advisor teams in Afghanistan
Police advising in Afghanistan
Withdrawing from long occupations
Provincial Reconstruction Teams’ effectiveness in Eastern Afghanistan
Disbanding militias
Marine Corps operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq
Traditional and formal rule of law structures in Iraq and Afghanistan
The effectiveness of Iraqi armed forces

CSD analysts have also contributed to recent CNA projects that examined border security in Central America; tribal politics in North Africa; illegal fishing, piracy, and maritime security in the Horn of Africa; and the use of cyber by non-state armed groups.