Continuity in Dynamic Coalition Operations

The combination of participating organizations in a coalition operation often changes over time; the coalition is dynamic and evolves over the course of its mission. A given organization may participate in the coalition only at the stage where its expertise or resources are most needed, while other organizations may participate through the entire course of the operation. As these are independent organizations coming together for a limited time to meet a specific goal, the structure of the coalition must be able to accommodate the different command arrangements, procedures, and other characteristics of each organization. In order to develop a theory of a coalition structure that can accommodate the changing needs of the coalition, a dynamic model of a coalition is being developed that allows organizational participation to fluctuate over the course of the mission. In order to ensure that the model emulates real world situations, a scenario was created from actual coalition experiences in the NATO-led Balkan’s peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, where lead nations were assigned under the operational command of the NATO-led force. Adding to the complexity of the operations was the fact that military commanders and staff turned over frequently creating stability and continuity of operations challenges. This project attempts to capture some of these dynamics in order to draw conclusions about the effect of change on the coalition structure.