8. Reforming Host Nation Defence and Security Forces (HNDSF)

Post-conflict states, with legacies of weakened institutions, lower social trust, and pre-formed networks that can easily morph into organised crime syndicates, are especially vulnerable to structural corruption and the formation of kleptocratic networks. Police and the armed forces can become key battlegrounds for post-war networks, and can either facilitate or pull apart the post-war settlement. Especially in countries rich in natural resources, security forces can be co-opted by powerbrokers and factions fighting for control of resources and revenues they produce. They can be used to solidify their hold on power and used to protect excavation sites and pipelines.

Reforming host nation defence and security forces is a necessary enterprise, but one fraught with risks: it strikes at the heart of state power. A comprehensive Security Sector Reform programme aims not only at improving the effectiveness of the armed forces, but first and foremost at ensuring that the armed forces are under civilian control and work to provide security for the population; that their budgets are formed and communicated with maximum transparency, to avoid opportunities for resource diversion; and that they are legitimate in the eyes of the population.