Over a decade on from the start of the international military intervention and in the context of forthcoming drawdown of international combat troops, it was seen as a critical juncture to reflect upon civil-military dialogue, lessons learned and the challenges of dialogue moving forward.

A report by the Humanitarian Policy Group on civil military coordination in Afghanistan provides a historical overview of the key events and developments affecting the humanitarian – military relationship from 2001 to the present. The debate about PRTs provided an entry point into the broader debate about the impact of stabilisation approaches. Lastly, the report looks ahead to the security transition in 2014 and assesses what challenges will remain for coordination with national military actors.

This event aims to bring together military, political, and humanitarian/NGO actors to discuss the history of civil-military relations in Afghanistan, and to reflect on what lessons can be learnt from it. Secondly, it aims to stimulate dialogue on the upcoming security transition.