The Washington Post reports that the US military will give a higher priority to preparing for post-conflict stability operations — very good idea. But while many may agree on this post-conflict focus, there’s quite a divide — Powell, Shinseki, Rumsfeld, etc. — on just how big the deployed force should be to accomplish the mission. Whether one agrees or disagrees with its conclusions, this Rand study on the “Arithmetic of Stability Operations” is a good place to start the debate that will surely be part of the 2008 presidential campaign.
