Defence Sector Reform: A Note on Current Practice

The Defence Sector can be divided into three categories: the ministries which develop, manage, and implement defence policy (typically the defence and interior ministries), the bodies charged with oversight of these ministries and their implementation bodies (typically legislative oversight bodies and ministerial internal oversight structures), and the operational actors charged with guaranteeing a country’s national security. Operational actors include the regular armed forces of the state (army, navy, coast guard, marines/marine infantry, and air forces);1 state-sponsored paramilitary forces (gendarmerie or equivalent, and border security forces); customs, and immigrations services; intelligence services; and other organizations that defend the state and its people. This practice note examines creation and reform, restructuring, and/or transformation of these institutions, primarily for defence against external threats. It does not address law enforcement or criminal justice issues or institutions (such as police, judiciary, or corrections). Although bilateral defence assistance has been a staple of international aid for decades, assistance to equip and train partner defence forces cannot be equated with defence sector reform. Such assistance may not address corruption, human rights abuses, or the likelihood of internal conflict in recipient countries (Gompert and Stearns, 2007, 4), whereas the core principles of securit