From Mission Creep to Smart Power

The size of the Defense Department both in terms of financial resources and personnel resources dwarfs the State Department. This unevenness has caused the Defense Department to pick up new missions that traditionally belong to the State Department. The negative consequences go beyond simply high operational tempo. There are also the international perceptions of U.S. military in uniform performing diplomatic functions.American servicemen and women can be trained to accomplish any task, but they will never take off their uniform. The camouflage on the uniform will always evoke sentiments of defense, security and force when needed. When security is assured and the mission shifts to development, training and diplomacy, the U.S. urgently needs a robust State Department fully able to seamlessly step in where the military left off. Currently, this capability does not fully exist. This paper examines where resources and missions can be shifted. Where changes make sense one next has to look at the likelihood that proposals will be politically, practically and economically viable. The second half of the paper examines both the inside and outside players that have influence impacting these proposals and departments. This paper used all available resources that were available as of December 2010.