Measuring Progress in Conflict Environments (MPICE

Today’s strategic threat is far more fragmented than during the Cold War era. The US and its allies face asymmetric adversaries and irregular warfare tactics that effectively allow small groups of insurgents to destabilize entire nations. The result is an increase in Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations. In fact, since the end of the Cold War, the United States military has been involved in SSTR operations every 18 to 24 months. Assessing progress towards sustainable peace requires relevant metrics and the Measuring Progress in Conflict Environments (MPICE) program has made significant gains in this area. MPICE identifies stability indicators and related metrics for conflict drivers as well as the local institutional capacity to minimize those drivers. While MPICE provides a valuable systematic framework, there is a key technology gap in providing necessary insights and situation understanding with respect to meeting USG strategic stability goals. MASM uses advanced computational modeling and social network analysis to address this gap and enhance understanding that goes much further than metrics alone.