JP 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States - Defense ...

Theory and Foundations
(1) Military Engagement, Security Cooperation, and Deterrence. These
ongoing activities establish, shape, maintain, and refine relations with other nations. Many
of these activities occur across the conflict continuum, and will usually continue in areas
outside the operational areas associated with ongoing limited contingency operations, major
operations, and campaigns.
(a) Military engagement is the routine contact and interaction between
individuals or elements of the Armed Forces of the United States and those of another
nation’s armed forces, domestic or foreign civilian authorities or agencies to build trust and
confidence, share information, and coordinate mutual activities.
(b) Security cooperation involves all DOD interactions with foreign defense
establishments to build defense relationships that promote specific US security interests,
develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational
operations, and provide US forces with peacetime and contingency access to an HN. This
includes activities such as security assistance. Security cooperation is a key element of
global and theater shaping operations.
(c) Deterrence helps prevent adversary action through the presentation of a
credible threat of counteraction. As discussed previously, deterrence convinces adversaries
not to take threatening actions by influencing their decision making.
(d) Military actions such as nation assistance (e.g., foreign internal defense,
security assistance, humanitarian and civic assistance), counterinsurgency, DOD support to
counterdrug operations, show of force operations, and combating WMD activities are
applied to meet military engagement, security cooperation, and deterrence objectives.
(2) Crisis Response and Limited Contingency Operations. A crisis response or
limited contingency operation can be a single small-scale, limited-duration operation or a
significant part of a major operation of extended duration involving combat. The associated
general strategic and operational objectives are to protect US interests and prevent surprise
attack or further conflict. Included are operations to ensure the safety of American citizens
and US interests while maintaining and improving US ability to operate with multinational
partners to deter the hostile ambitions of potential aggressors (e.g., Operation SHINING
EXPRESS in 2003; United States European Command [USEUCOM] launched a joint
operation that rescued US citizens and embassy personnel from Monrovia and supported
African peacekeeping forces during the Liberian civil war). Many such operations involve a
combination of military forces and capabilities in close cooperation with interorganizational
partners.
Note: Some specific crisis response or limited contingency operations
may not involve large-scale combat, but could be considered major
operations/campaigns depending on their scale and duration (e.g.,
Operation UNIFIED ASSISTANCE tsunami and Hurricane Katrina relief
efforts in 2005, Operation TOMODACHI Japanese tsunami and nuclear
relief efforts in 2011).
I-15