As a military member (now on my way out), I've noticed the gap between what the military does and what NGOs* do. The military, necessarily, focuses on its mission. Even units such as Civil Affairs, whose stated purpose is working with civilians, act primarily to accomplish the combatant commander's objectives in his AO as opposed to working for the best interest of a local population. Many NGOs, most of whom attempt to serve the local populace to the best of their abilities, have an understandable aversion to working closely with the military, or even proactively providing security for their projects. Some are reduced to hiring local militia, which amount to little more than thugs or mafia organizations, a clear compromise of their principles. I find it self-evident that a deteriorating security situation often accompanies (or causes) humanitarian crises. It further seems self-evident to me that security and humanitarian aid ought to go hand in hand. In reality, this is often not so.
""Cite NGO security policies""
Because of the GWOT, there is a significant number of well-trained soldiers with overseas experience who have interacted with local nationals in crisis and who have unprecedented skills and training. Certainly some among them are not mature or morally strong enough to govern themselves in ambiguous situations, but rarely has there been such a large pool to draw from to find those who are.
*Non-Governmental Organizations such as Oxfam, Doctors without Borders, etc
