As the long-awaited Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) proceeds through its summer schedule, there has been a lot of speculation about the future of one particular part of the State Department: the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). This office was created six years ago in the wake of Iraq to coordinate all parts of the government in planning for and responding to complex crises overseas and to provide additional personnel who could deploy quickly.

This briefing assesses the debate and makes recommendations on the mandate and organization.

Key observations include:

· The mandate for the office remains valid. The current model was not sufficiently supported to be successful.
· A centrally managed, separate organization reporting to the Secretary of State is needed to manage planning and operations and must get additional leadership support.
· The Civilian Response Corps has been successful, but only to a point. It should be completely integrated