Rapid Deployment of Troops: Key to Resolve Crises? - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to former U.S Army Europe Commander L.t Gen Ben Hodges, forces must assemble in a fast way to the area of crisis (Kepe, 2018). Deploying troops to an area of conflict in a quick manner can help to increase the chances to act decisively, and to even sometimes, this can also stop the crisis (Kepe, 2018). After the cold war, no major crisis has forced nations to assemble their troops and engage their neighbours in combat. As a result of no international conflict, most military operations have taken a back seat from active mobility and logistics for strategies and policies in handling crisis (Kepe, 2018). Many of the movement of significant military forces like the E. U forces, NATO forces and U.N forces all act to ensure peace within their region of operations. However, such efforts to maintain order and deter crisis within the borders of their members requires that these forces be able to move fast to the region (Kepe, 2018). The paper examines the strategies to improve tactical mobility and sustainability within the military and the challenges encountered in implementing these strategies.

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Strategies to Improve Mobility and Sustainability

In the past five years, the need to improve the mobility of forces into areas of the crisis has become an issue for many regional peacekeeping organisations (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2017). The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and NATO all have developed strategies to help their forces as they deal with emerging conflicts in their regions.

Cooperation with other nations is one of the strategies that many military agencies are employing to improve the movement of their forces into areas of crisis (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2018). The agencies cooperate in matters like regulations that are inhibiting for their troop movement signing agreements that will allow the smooth movement of the troops through these nations. The organisations collaborate with individual countries to encourage them to make faster decisions when they have to enable the troop's passage through their territory to the area of conflict (Schultz et al., 2019). Many military organisations seek the approval of its members to facilitate the movement of their troops across the different border. These organisations seek cooperation in providing transportation when needed and any other help the forces will need as they move towards their destination.

Another strategy is improving the logistics within their agencies that will enhance the movement of troops (Schultz et al., 2019). Many of the organisations are developing new plans and frameworks that provide the guidelines on how the movement of troops into areas of conflict should take place. Creating ideas on how equipment and other machinery will move from one location to another with ease is essential to the mobility of troops (Erbel, & Kinsey, 2018). Having the right plans of movement will help where the forces have to move fast to prevent a crisis. Many military organisations are taking their time to develop strategies before deployment of military troops into territories without causing any disruption to the lives of the people in the area

The military engages in upgrading transport networks and infrastructure in the regions in which they go through to facilitate the smooth movement of troops into areas of conflict (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2018). Some of the road networks in areas around conflict cannot handle the heavy vehicles that transport the troops and their equipment. The agencies know that upgrading the road networks ensures that troop movement is faster, making it possible to reach their destinations without any delays (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2017). The need to have storage facilities for military equipment has led to many organisations taking the initiative to develop new infrastructure that will safeguard their assets. Infrastructural development in areas that lack the necessary support to facilitate more accessible storage of crucial equipment and storage has become a strategy to help the mobility of troops into areas of conflict.

Setting up support centres where their troops get the necessary help as they move to a new location is a strategy that many international organisations like the NATO and E.U use (Kepe, 2018). With the cooperation of their members, these organisations set up centres in different nations that coordinate the movement of troops (Erbel, & Kinsey, 2018). In case of a crisis, these centres act as points for providing strategic information on how soldiers can move in that area which is very important in facilitating faster movement. The United Nations peacekeeping force has support centres around the world which facilitate the movement of its troops in the different regions where it conducts its missions (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2017). The E.U is not different from the United Nations, having developed many stations around Europe, where their troops get strategic help as they move around Europe, maintaining security (Schultz et al., 2019).

Challenges to Implementation of Strategies

As these organisations place these strategies to help their troops move the areas of conflict faster, they encounter various problems (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2018). Majority of the challenges these organisations face are external and affect the effectiveness of these strategies because they limit the actions taken. Some of the challenges faced by these organisations include economic, political, and coordination problems.

The first challenge these organisations face is uncooperativeness among some of the nations on whose territory the troops have to pass caused by differing political ideologies. Some countries refuse to cooperate with the peacekeeping missions because of political affiliations with those nations experiencing conflict or crisis (Kepe, 2018). They need to let their neighbouring countries solve their issues makes some of these nations to hinder the efforts of these agencies in moving troops the areas of conflict.

The second challenge is the cost of implementing the infrastructural and road improvement to facilitate troop movement across various regions (Schultz et al., 2019). The improvements in road networks and infrastructure are collaborations between the host nation and the organisation. As a result of such massive enhancements, some of the nation's lack the necessary economic power to facilitate their part of the finances (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2017). having to shoulder the burden of upgrading the infrastructure on their own, the process of improving and sustaining the mobility and of their troops becomes slows.

Third, the organisations experience coordination challenges when trying to implement strategies to improve troop mobility in different territories (Schultz et al., 2019). The lack of proper structure in host nations makes it difficult for coordination between the military and the local experts resulting in delays in handling issues concerning troop movement (Kepe, 2018). Coordination becomes a challenge because of the technological differences between large organisations and the local experts; this difference creates a problem when implementing strategies to improve military movement into areas of conflict because of the lack of support.

Conclusion

Military agencies have many strategies to improve tactical mobility and sustainability of their troops, but they also encounter challenges as they are implementing these strategies. Large organisations providing military service recognised the need for their military to move quickly into a region because they could deter the crisis or stop it from escalating. The military engages in improving infrastructure and road networks, promote cooperation, logistics, and set up support centres as a way of enhancing the movement of their troops. However, as they implement these strategies, they experience coordination problems and uncooperativeness from authorities. Overcoming these challenges can prove very beneficial in helping these military agencies to react and deal with conflict when called upon.

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2018, March 28). JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL: on the Action Plan on Military Mobility. Retrieved From https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/2018-military_mobility_action_plan.pdf

Kepe, M. (2018, February 26). Preparing for the NATO Summit: Why Military Mobility Should Be On Top Of the Agenda. Retrieved From https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/02/preparing-for-the-nato-summit-why-military-mobility.html

Schultz, D, Miller, D, Hope, D, & Helms, C. (2019, July, 23). Sustainment In The Military: Maintain Technological Advantage Over Life Span Of Military Systems. Retrieved From https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/public-sector/sustainment-in-the-military.htm