Devex: USAID mulls proposal to train aid workers as special forces
“…A … study [from the Frontier Design Group commissioned by the USAID Global Development Lab] explored the potential demand for and feasibility of a new idea, the creation of rapid expeditionary development teams — or RED teams. ‘Unlike existing USAID officers working in permissive and semi-permissive environments, RED Team members would be specifically recruited and trained to deliver novel techniques, practices, and tools optimized to secure communities vulnerable to violent extremist radicalization and exploitation,’ the report reads. … USAID declined an interview, but when asked whether the agency was still considering this proposal a spokesperson wrote to Devex by email: ‘We are still working on the details in formulating the Rapid Expeditionary Development (RED) Teams initiative. As a learning organization, USAID is reviewing the insights from the report and others to reflect on approaches like red teaming and their value to USAID moving forward’…” (Igoe, 2/19).