Purpose -This paper aims to present a study on the organization of military logistics under "hot" conditions in an expeditionary crisis response operation. The authors' main research question is: in what way is armed forces logistics sourcing organized in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan? Design/methodology/approach -To answer their research question, the authors conducted a case study including field research at military sites in Afghanistan. The case study is focused on military organizations that operate in a hostile and ambiguous environment. The authors compare sourcing of three categories of support services, i.e. facilities management, maintenance & logistics and security. Findings -The authors' results include a systematic overview of the organization of command, logistic and accounting (sourcing) in the ISAF mission, involving multinational military partners and contractors. Second, the authors show how Canada, NATO, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the USA sourced the three categories of services mentioned in terms of sourcing profiles. Focusing on contracting, the authors outline which strategies NATO and the countries mentioned used in practice. And finally, differences and similarities are highlighted in the area of funding and accounting.Research limitations/implications -While the authors' study provides insight in the use of sourcing profiles identified in this paper, more research is necessary to identify criteria for explaining sourcing decisions of armed forces. Practical implications -The paper provides a systematic overview for practitioners and scholars and enhances manageability and policy development relevant for those who prepare, execute, monitor and evaluate missions. Originality/value -The authors' paper is one of the first to provide a systematic overview in operational defense sourcing relying on first-hand field data. This area of study is fragmented and remains mostly closed for non-military researchers.
This article examines the outputs of the Afghan reconstruction process in which the military of 42 countries and many international and local humanitarian organisations are engaged. It presents data containing detailed information on approximately 85,000 projects carried out between 2002 and 2007, which have been used primarily for coordination purposes. The article explores how the dataset might be used to measure the outputs of the reconstruction efforts, with a focus on the provincial reconstruction teams of Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. The findings provide valuable information for policymakers and those who prepare, execute and monitor these operations. The analysis also demonstrates the limitations of such data. This article focuses on measuring the performance of reconstruction, a key aspect of the peacebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. Reconstruction refers to 'the actions undertaken by international or national actors to support the economic and, to some extent, social dimensions of post-conflict recovery' (Call & Wyeth 2008: 50.). Drawing on quantitative
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