Cooperative Defense Project

The Cooperative Defense Project seeks to assess how changes in the security environment impact the United States’ ability to pursue principled and accountable defense policies and operations

 The realities of the 21st century security environment increasingly highlight challenges to the frameworks and tools the United States historically has used to ensure that its defense policies and operations are conducted in accordance with U.S. values. The project examines how to innovate and strengthen the principled basis for defense policy and military operations, and to propose practical frameworks and recommendations for the U.S. Administration, Congress, and military.

Key objectives of the project include:

  • Fostering dialogue and feedback among civilian and military organizations to calibrate policies, planning, operations, and allied and partner security cooperation to achieve defense objectives while reinforcing accountability, transparency, good governance principles, and mitigating harm to civilians; and
  • Providing practical recommendations informed by research and analysis to guide policy, legislative, doctrinal, and organizational changes to buttress frameworks and tools for formulating principled defense policies and operations.

All Cooperative Defense Project Content

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Buttressing Institutional Integrity in an Election Year

How can the laws, policies, processes, historical precedents, and institutional norms guiding federal force roles be tested during a presidential election and transition?

Brief by Devi Nair, Suzanne Spaulding, and Melissa Dalton — October 27, 2020

U.S. Support to Security Sector Reform in Fragile States

Reforming security sectors can serve an important function in preventing violence but may also introduce destabilizing effects. Policymakers should understand the relationship between security actors and the nature of fragility and calibrate reform accordingly.

Brief by Daniel Mahanty — August 26, 2020

Conduct Is the Key: Improving Civilian Protection in Nigeria

With ongoing violence in northeast Nigeria, CSIS’s Melissa Dalton analyzes the role of the Nigerian security forces in achieving an effective protection of civilians strategy and the role of donor and U.S. security assistance in shaping this relationship.

Commentary by Melissa Dalton — July 9, 2020

Partners, Not Proxies: Capacity Building in Hybrid Warfare

Security partners operate on the front lines of hybrid warfare environments. A principled approach to security partnerships and integrating partners into civilian-led campaigns for hybrid warfare will increase alliance-wide strategic action and operational effectiveness.

Brief by Hijab Shah and Melissa Dalton — May 27, 2020

Mapping Stabilization in Post-Peace Accord Colombia

Colombia’s future hinges on it pursuing integrated and conflict-aware approaches to stabilization following the FARC peace accord. CSIS presents an interactive map showing three relevant and important post-peace accord efforts overlaid with recent social leader killings. 

Commentary by Janina Staguhn , Erol Yayboke, and Melissa Dalton — May 5, 2020