WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army's future likely will be geared toward nation-building rather than conventional warfare, officials said.
The new doctrine to be issued Monday also says so-called "fragile states" that propagate terrorism and strife are the greatest threat to U.S. national security, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
The doctrine holds that in coming years, U.S. forces will be called to protect populations and rebuild countries rather than engage in direct combat.
Those "stability operations" will last longer and contribute more to the military's success than "traditional combat operations," says the Army's new Stability Operations Field Manual, a copy of which was obtained by the newspaper.
"This is the document that bridges from conflict to peace," said Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where the manual was drafted.
He said the U.S. military "will never secure the peace until we can conduct stability operations in a collaborative manner" with civilian government and private entities at home and abroad.
