What is security sector reform (SSR) and how can it be successfully achieved? This report from the United States Army explains that SSR is the set of policies, plans, programmes and activities that a government undertakes to improve the way it provides safety, security and justice. It is important in order to contribute to a world of legitimate, effectively governed states that provide for the needs of their citizens and conduct activities responsibly within the international system.
SSR aims to create an effective and legitimate public service that is transparent, accountable to civil authority and responsive to the needs of the public. It may include integrated activities to support defense and armed forces reform; civilian management and oversight; justice, police and intelligence reform; national security planning and strategy support; border management; disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) and the concurrent reduction of armed violence.
SSR involves reforming institutions and key ministerial positions that maintain and provide oversight for the safety and security of the host nation and its people. Through unified action, those individuals and institutions assume an effective, legitimate and accountable role; they provide external and internal security for their citizens under the civilian control of a legitimate state authority.
Effective SSR enables a state to build its capacity to provide security and justice. SSR promotes stability, fosters reform processes and enables economic development. The desired outcome of SSR programmes is an effective and legitimate security sector firmly rooted within the rule of law. It includes reform efforts targeting the individuals and institutions that provide a nation’s security as well as promote and strengthen the rule of law.
By recognising the inherently interdependent aspects of the security sector and by integrating operational support with institutional reform and governance, SSR promotes effective, legitimate, transparent, and accountable security and justice.
The foundations of SSR are:
- a concept of security developed by the host nation and ingrained in its culture;
- a framework that encompasses all security sector participants and challenges;
- cooperation with and among civil authorities;
- human rights; and
- clear policies, accountability and professionalism.
Coordinated interagency planning is required to ensure balanced development of the entire security sector. Imbalanced development can undermine the long-term success of SSR efforts. Integrated planning helps prioritise and sequence the activities of each contributing agency into a comprehensive SSR strategy. SSR planning must account for several interrelated factors that influence reform. Effective assessment of these factors will drive the process and help define success. They are:
- cultural awareness;
- leadership capacity building;
- public trust and confidence;
- host-nation dependency;
- perseverance; and
- end state.
