Author Description

Global-Reach Regime Replacement, alternately referred to as GR3, is a proposed method to forcibly remove a threatening regime from power, replace it with a new government, and conduct appropriate levels of stability and reconstruction operations in the aftermath. As the name implies, GR3 is designed for prompt action with global operational reach. The monograph examines the hypothesis that the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan (JSCP) should assign responsibility for GR3 to United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Within the context of the contemporary operating environment, the GR3 concept is evaluated against the criteria of feasibility, acceptability, and suitability. GR3 fully satisfies each of the criteria. No investment is required other than the time required to develop a standing GR3 plan. Additionally, GR3 provides comparative advantages over military methods that require the build-up of conventional forces before the commencement of operations. In the last twenty years, the United States has employed military means to force regime change in Panama, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Drawing upon analysis of these operations, the resulting primary recommendation is that the JSCP should task USSTRATCOM to develop GR3 into a supporting plan ready for implementation by the geographic combatant commanders. No plan for GR3 currently exists. Yet in an environment of uncertainty where threats from far-flung regimes may quickly surface, it is a capability invaluable to the security of the United States. The flexibility and agility of GR3 provide a method for swift action against regimes that threaten the vital interests of the United States. Additionally, it also brings the capability to expand legitimate governance should regime replacement become necessary.