View allAll Photos Tagged Contingency
When traveling to ski or snowboard, different contingencies may arise, such as accidents, losses on track, problems with luggage, illness or problems that may arise which compels us return to our place of origin, or to spend unforgettable days, but in the negative.
Such situations can have very h...
TRIBHUVAN, Nepal (May 5, 2015) - Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group and U.S. Marines to prepare to unload a U.S. Marine UH-1Y Huey helicopter from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Tribhuvan International Airport. The 36th CRG is a rapid-deployment unit designed to establish and maintain airfield operations in a forward operating location and joined U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa White/Released) 150506-F-XN788-019
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44th Baltimore LGBTQ Pride Parade March down North Charles Street in Baltimore MD on Saturday afternoon, 15 June 2019 by Elvert Barnes Photography
BGE EXELON Contingency
www.facebook.com/myBGE/posts/2720519397959143
Elvert Barnes 44th Baltimore LGTBQ Pride 2019 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/BmoreGayPride2019.html
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Julie Leggett and Sgt. Leonard Doan, from the 25th Special Troops Battalion Security Detachment, 25th Infantry Division, talk with a town leader about a site survey of local businesses, in Al Sequor, Iraq, Aug. 12.
Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq
Photo by Staff Sgt. Luke P. Thelen
Date: 08.12.2009
Location: Contingency Operation Base Speicher, IQ
Related photos: dvidshub.net/r/zlgtia
Members of the 736th Security Forces Squadron jump from a C-130 Hercules Aug. 21 over the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flight line as part of static jump training. As the integrated force protection element of the 36th Contingency Response Group, members of the 736th SFS provide a quick-response airborne capability that serves as an advance echelon team for contingency and humanitarian missions all over the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos)
WHITE BEACH, Okinawa (Jan. 31, 2018) A landing craft air cushion (LCAC), assigned to Naval Beach Unit (NBU) 7, disembarks the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) to onload vehicles of the 3d Marine Division (MARDIV) as the ship arrives at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa. During the visit, the ship will embark 3d MARDIV personnel, vehicles and equipment, prior to continuing a scheduled patrol. Bonhomme Richard is operation in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region as part of a regularly scheduled patrol and provides a rapid-response capability in the event of a regional contingency or natural disaster. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kyle Carlstrom/Released)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kyle Mohsenzadeh, security forces, 123rd Contingency Response Group, Kentucky Air National Guard patrols an airfield during Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 22, in Nome, Alaska, Feb. 26, 2022 . Joint Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 increases the National Guard’s capacity to operate in austere, extreme cold-weather environments across Alaska and the Arctic region. AEP22 enhances the ability of military and civilian inter-agency partners to respond to a variety of emergency and homeland security missions across Alaska and the Arctic. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. LeAnne (Ian) Withrow
Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group prepare to unload a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130 Hercules at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif., on March 8, 2016. The 123rd CRG is working in conjunction with the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element and a team from the Defense Logistics Agency to operate Joint Task Force-Port Opening Sangala during the week-long exercise. The objective of the JTF-PO is to establish an aerial port of debarkation, provide initial distribution capability, and establish warehousing capability for distribution beyond a forward node. (Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)
Col. Timothy Brown, 435th Contingency Response Group commander, executes an airborne jump out of a C-17 Globemaster III over the drop zone in Alzey, Germany, June 14, 2010. Five NATO countries participated in the annual event to support one of U. S. Air Forces in Europe's top priorities, building partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Photographer - Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Pictured - A General Purpose Machine Gunner(GPMG) from The 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (1PWRR).
Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER is the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May – October 2013. Contingency Operations training is known as Hybrid Foundation Training or HFT.
The aim of this exercise is to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.
The exercise is split into 3 main phases. The first phase consists of a two week live firing exercise in Grafenwoer, Southern Germany, that enables the units and soldiers to refine their skills with their equipment and weapons. Training is constructed to develop skills from the individual level through to the Battlegroup level and culminates in a final attack that sees the use of helicopters, tanks, artillery and infantry combined.
The second phase will see all the exercising units transition from Grafenwoer to Hohnfels, some 100 km further south and simulates the kind of movements that are undertaken when moving an Armed force into hostile territory.
The third, and final phase is designed to test the planning and execution of combined arms manoeuvre operations in a hostile environment. The units will execute orders based on the delivery of Brigade Orders to defeat the enemy within the scenario.
2100 personnel with upto 768 vehicles ranging from Landrover, to Tanks to Apache helicopters are being exercised from 20th Armoured Brigade whose Headquarters are based in Sennelager, Germany. Approximately 500 personnel are required to support those training to ensure that supplies are maintained, vehicles are fixed and soldiers fed.
NOTE TO DESKS:
MoD release authorised handout images.
All images remain crown copyright.
Photo credit to read - Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Email: wescalder@mediaops.army.mod.uk
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The 142nd Fighter Wing's rich history began just prior to World War II as the United States increased its military readiness while war raged across Europe and Asia.
Today, as a vital Air National Guard asset to Air Combat Command and Air Expeditionary Force structures, the 142nd Fighter Wing conducts Air Sovereignty Alert operations 24/7 in the Pacific Northwest. The wing also participates in contingency operations in support of state and federal authorities.
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The Oregon Air National Guard and the 142nd Fighter Wing's history began just prior to World War II when the United States, monitoring the war raging in Europe and China, began focusing less on neutrality and more on preparedness. Answering the call to arms was Major G. Robert Dodson, an Oregonian serving with the 321st Observation Squadron, U.S. Army Reserve at Pearson Field in Vancouver, Washington. He requested the National Guard Bureau's authorization to form an Oregon flying unit. His short, official request -- "We've got people, we've got a place, and we're ready!" -- launched the 123rd Observation Squadron on April 18, 1941. The newly formed unit began operations with two officers, 108 enlisted men and two aircraft, a North American BC-1A (like the AT-6) and a Douglas O-46A.
Five months later, on September 15, 1941, the squadron was federally activated and deployed to Gray Field at Fort Lewis, Washington from which it conducted coastal patrol and training operations in the Pacific Northwest with the North American O-47. This included one of the first missions flown from a U.S. base on December 7, 1941. In March 1943 the 123rd was redesignated as a Reconnaissance Squadron, and redesignated again in August 1943 as the 35th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (PRS). From September 1944 to August 1945 the unit flew the F-5 reconnaissance variant of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in combat operations in the China-Burma-India theatre as part of the Fourteenth Air Force, the famous "Flying Tigers." The squadron received credit for participation in seven campaigns in World War II. Not all 123rd personnel served with the 35th PRS, as some were diverted to other units as early as 1942 and served elsewhere in the Pacific and in Europe. As part of the large drawdown of forces after the war, the 35th PRS inactivated on November 7, 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Less than a year later, the 35th PRS was revived, redesignated as the 123rd Fighter Squadron (Single Engine, SE) and allocated to the State of Oregon National Guard, effective 26 June, 1946. At a similar time, and as part of a larger ANG reorganization, the 371st Fighter Group was allocated to the State of Oregon, and redesignated as the 142nd Fighter Group on May 24, 1946. The 123rd FS (SE) fell under the 142nd Fighter Group at Portland Air Base. The 142nd inherited the lineage and honors of the 371st FG, which flew combat missions with the P-47 Thunderbolt in the European Theater of Operations in World War II and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for exceptional heroism in 1945. Thus the 142nd FG began fighter operations for the first time in the North American P-51D Mustang with 75 officers and 800 enlisted. men.
Beginning in 1950, the group mobilized in response to the Korean War. Individually activated pilots of the 123rd FS flew over 1,000 combat missions with active duty squadrons of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing in the F-51D Mustang. The 142nd Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron deployed to Alaska to bolster ground radar coverage in remote areas against the growing Soviet bomber threat, while the 142nd Fighter Group performed the air defense mission as part of the Continental Air Command. In 1952 both the group and squadron were redesignated Fighter Interceptor units.
After supporting the Korean conflict the 142nd Fighter Interceptor Group remained very active in air defense matters through the Cold War years. In the summer of 1958, the 142nd began standing 24-hour air defense alert and continues to this day. As an example of the unit's readiness and capability, in 1976, the unit won top honors at a pair of Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) competitions, the Weapons Loading Competition and the famous William Tell Air Defense Competition. SMSgt Alan Kaser, TSgt Lane Hoffman, TSgt Mark Wiebold and TSgt Joe Woodburn won the Weapons Loading Competition with two near perfect loads, a high test score and maximum points on the tools and equipment checks. In William Tell 1976, the 142nd garnered first place in the F-101 category and Lt. Col. Don Tonole and Maj. Brad Newell captured the overall "Top Gun" title flying the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo. Success came again at William Tell 1984 when the unit placed first in the F-4 category flying the McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II and beat many of its F-15 Eagle and F-106 Delta Dart rivals in the overall competition. Majors Ron Moore and Bill Dejager were the overall F-4 "Top Guns" of the competition. In the 50th Year of William Tell Anniversary Competition held in 2004, the 142nd Fighter Wing was rated first in Maintenance, Element Attack and Gun categories. These William Tell successes demonstrate Oregon's long history of excellent performance and readiness to accomplish the real world mission.
Since the end of the Cold War, the 142nd has served as the principle air defense unit of the Pacific Northwest. In 1992, as part of a large USAF reorganization, both the group and squadron were redesignated yet again as the 142nd Fighter Group and the 123rd Fighter Squadron, respectively. In 1995 the group was elevated to wing status, beginning its current designation as the 142nd Fighter Wing. The wing participated in a wide variety of expeditionary and humanitarian assistance missions in the turbulent post-Cold War environment while providing air defense of the Pacific Northwest. These included major deployments to Turkey in 1998 for Operation NORTHERN WATCH and to Saudi Arabia in 2000 for Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, patrolling the no-fly zones then in place over Iraq. The wing deployed aircraft to Panama in 1998 in support of counterdrug missions, helping stem the flow of the drug trade by air. Wing personnel deployed on various other missions, sending medical troops to Belize, civil engineers to Macedonia, and to such places around the globe as Curacao, Denmark, Germany, Guam, Kuwait, Spain and the United Kingdom.
On September 11, 2001, the wing was one of the first units to respond to the dastardly terrorist attacks on the east coast with increased air defense to enhance security on the west coast, and subsequently participated in Operation NOBLE EAGLE, the national military response to homeland defense. In 2004, unit personnel provided humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2007 floods in Vernonia, Oregon. The wing also supported ongoing contingency operations in Southwest Asia, including Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, such as in the 2004 deployment of medical personnel to Qatar and the 2009 deployment of Security Forces Squadron personnel to Iraq.
From its creation, the 142nd Fighter Wing has flown the P-51/F-51 Mustang, F-86 Sabre, F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-101 Voodoo, F-4 Phantom II fighter planes and a host of support aircraft.
Today, the fighting "Redhawks" are proud to continue service as a vital part of the Total Force team, defending our nation with the F-15 Eagle, providing both continuous air defense and air superiority capabilities. With more than 1,000 officers and airmen, the 142nd Fighter Wing guards the Pacific Northwest skies from northern California to the Canadian border, on 24-hour Air Sovereignty Alert as part of Air Combat Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The wing also stands ready to participate in state and federal contingency missions as required.
Air Force Master Sgt. Paul Edwards of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group establishes satellite communications for the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 5, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. More than 80 Kentucky Air Guardsmen stood up an Intermediate Staging Base at the airport that will funnel humanitarian supplies and equipment into West Africa as part of the international effort to fight Ebola. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
From left, Sgt. 1st Class Jack Hahne, Capt. Paula Moore and Staff Sgt. Amanda Galdo, members of the 1978th Contingency Contracting Team, South Dakota Army National Guard, stand to be recognized during their welcome home ceremony Sept. 24, 2013, in Rapid City, S.D. The 1978th returned from a nearly 10-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Beck/Released)
Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group carry whole blood to a waiting U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 22. The blood is being sent to Liberia to support U.S. troops deployed for Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
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Task Force Wings' Personnel Recovery Force Soldiers climb aboard a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter operated and maintained by air crews of 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Diamond Head, after a mission in northern Iraq, April 2.
25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs
Photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts
Date: 04.02.2010
Location: Contingency Operating Base Speicher, IQ
related photos and news: dvidshub.net/r/zp69vh
Technical Sgt. Rebecca Diloreto (r) gets assistance with her gas mask from Staff Sgt. Robert Uyematsu, during MOPP level training March 4, 2001, in preparation for an upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. Both are assigned to the 571st Global Mobility Readiness Squadron. (U.S. Air Force Photo/MSgt. Stan Parker)
NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – U.S. Army Europe's Contingency Command Post Company Commander Capt. William Shakespeare Jackson Jr. and Detachment Sergeant Sgt. 1st Class James Irwin, hold a Saber Guardian 2014 banner as the unit poses for a photo during this year's exercise. The CCP was established as a rapidly deploying forward command and control element in support of missions directed by USAREUR. Saber Guardian 2014, hosted by USAREUR and the Bulgarian Land Forces, is a multinational military exercise involving approximately 700 military personnel from twelve participating nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.S., as well as representatives from NATO. The exercise, which runs until April 4, 2014, is designed to strengthen international agency and military partnering while fostering trust and improving interoperability between NATO and partner nations involved in foreign consequence management and peace support operations with U.S. forces. Saber Guardian 2014 is part of the U.S. Army Europe annual training and exercise program and has been planned for since 2013. Last year’s iteration of the training exercise was conducted at the Romanian Land Forces Combat Training Center in Cincu, Romania. The training at Saber Guardian 2014 will reinforce USAREUR commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training. (Photo by Sgt. Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue (blue/green gingham shirt and tan mask) and Senator John Cornyn (blue gingham shirt and blue bandana/mask) tour McLane Global, one of USDA’s partners in feeding rural kids in Texas and across America who have been impacted by school closures as a result of COVID-19. The Secretary and Senator will tour the food box packing facility and participate in a discussion with partners Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, Charwells K12, and PepsiCo, on July 16, in Houston, TX.
The tour is led by Mclane Global Chairman Denton McLane (black suit and mask, and red tie.) Also attending are U.S. Congressman Daniel Reed Crenshaw (with eye patch), Texas Secretary of Agriculture Sid Miller, McLane Global CEO Todd Avery, Chairman Drayton McLane, Jr., and #MillionMeals partners Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty Director of Government Relations Grace Norman, PepsiCo Food for Good Director Matt Smith, and Chartwells K12 CEO Belinda Oakley.
All USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs – have flexibilities and contingencies built-in to allow them to respond to on-the-ground realities in the event of a disaster or emergency situation.
For more information about the 1,000,000 meals a week program partnership, please visit: usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/03/17/usda-announces-feeding-program-partnership-response-covid-19
For more information about FNS Program Guidance on Human Pandemic Response, please visit: fns.usda.gov/disaster/pandemic
For additional information and photos please visit the album and see its description:
flic.kr/s/aHsmPrXwEi
flic.kr/s/aHsmMdK2x3
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Technical Sgt. Rebecca Diloreto (r) gets assistance with her gas mask from Staff Sgt. Robert Uyematsu, during MOPP level training March 4, 2001, in preparation for an upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. Both are assigned to the 571st Global Mobility Readiness Squadron. (U.S. Air Force Photo/MSgt. Stan Parker)
Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group offload cargo from a Kentucky Air Guard C-130 Hercules during Capstone '14, a homeland earthquake-response exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., on June 18, 2014. The 123rd CRG joined forces with the U.S. Army's 688th Rapid Port Opening Element to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening here from June 16 to 19, 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)
Staff Sgt. Daniel Guy, 736th Security Forces Squadron fire team leader, collects his parachute Aug. 21, 2013 after a static line jump over the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flight line. As the integrated force protection element of the 36th Contingency Response Group, members of the 736th SFS provide a quick-response airborne capability that serves as an advance echelon team for contingency and humanitarian missions all over the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos)
Tanks maneuver into position.
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Two M1A2 Abrams tanks maneuver to their firing positions on Memorial Range near Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 27, 2011. Tank crews from Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, zeroed their 120mm main guns and machine guns during the exercise in support of Operation New Dawn.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)
Djiboutian Army 1st Rapid Action Regiment Squad Leader, Abou Bakr Housein, draws a sand table for his fellow squad members during a break from instruction on basic infantry movements, as part of a training course held in Ali Oune, Djibouti, Feb 2, 2011.
Photo by Master Sgt. Dawn M. Price
ALI OUNE, Djibouti– Under an overcast sky, nearly 200 members of the Djiboutian Army’s elite 1st Rapid Action Regiment honed their infantry skills, mentored by members of the U.S. Army National Guard’s 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment.
The training included instruction on squad movements, convoy operations, contact drills, camp security and marksmanship, and was part of a one-month course which began Jan. 16 and culminated with a graduation Feb. 10. The instruction included mortar crew training and a combat engineering course, according to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nelson Perkins, mission commander and member of Charlie Company.
“Our mission here is to mentor the Djiboutian military as they prepare for upcoming missions. We’re trying to help them so they are capable of preventing conflict, establishing regional stability, and protecting coalition interests here,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Elder, an infantry squad leader with the 137th, who is a sheriff’s deputy in his hometown located near Topeka, Kan.
“My team and I are out here mentoring the soldiers and helping them along, basically giving them more tools for their toolbox. We’re showing them things that have helped us get through certain operations, and we want to help them so they can get through their future missions without any problem,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges the instructors faced was the language barrier due to few Djiboutian soldiers speaking English, according to Sgt. Jonathan Moyer, a team member with Echo Company. Instructors relied heavily on 2nd Lt. Omar Ali, Djibouti Army 2nd Company commander, who is fluent in four languages, and Mohamed Said, a Somali-born U.S. Army interpreter.
Throughout the morning, the small groups practiced team movements, and communicated contact and direction of fire. Loud whistle bursts signified enemy contact, and the Djiboutian soldiers moved succinctly, went into the prone position and assumed their staggered firing positions.
The regiment, which was established in 1991 and is comprised of a number of 20-year combat veterans, is the first unit in the Djiboutian Army called to deploy during a contingency, according to Ali. The regiment also provides border security on the Somaliland border located approximately seven miles from the camp.
“The goal for my soldiers is to prepare them for their mission and especially for a deployment under the United Nations, like they did in Haiti and Central Africa,” Ali said, who has been in the army since 2001. He attended an officer’s course with Germany’s mountain troops from 2004-2008 and will soon attend the Infantry Career Captain’s Course at Fort Benning, Ga.
According to Ali, the training is part of a continuation of training that began in September 2010 that included effective methods of instruction, commander operation skills course, a command post exercise, and company grade and noncommissioned officer courses.
Just one month ago, the newly-formed training camp consisted of just six concrete pads. Today the camp consists of about 12 tents, a mosque and a large covered classroom area.
“Camp Ali Oune is actually the first of its kind. The Djiboutians don’t have any bases here on the Somali border, and this camp is supposed to be here for quite a while. They will be utilizing the camp as a training area and for continuing operations to keep this region safe,” he said.
About two miles away in the shadow of a steep hill, other members of the Rapid Action Regiment sharpened their marksmanship skills using the Russian PKM 7.62-mm machine gun, which is the equivalent of the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Automatic gunfire and the ricochet of rounds echoed from the large rock-covered hill as each two-man team practiced firing in staccato bursts of three and five rounds.
“Very well done,” one of the instructors exclaimed after seeing a bullseye on the target of one team.
Ali said the training and mentoring provided by the 137th is beneficial because the cadre of instructors bring real-world operational experience.
“We already had a good relationship with the U.S. Army, and I have to say it’s a good thing and we have a good image of the U.S. Army,” Ali said.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica
Royal Marines from 42 Commando Boarding RFA Mounts Bay
Members of 42 Commando Fleet Contingency conducting high vertical assaults on RFA Mounts Bay as part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials. 42 Commando Royal Marine’s Fleet Contingency Troop have been conducting high vertical assault drills onto RFA Mounts Bay in Portland Harbour, supported by Offshore Raiding Craft and Coxswains from 47 Commando RM.
The training forms part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials, utilising modern communication systems and autonomous capabilities, including mobile ad hoc networking radios MPU5, Ghost drone, which provides a live feed to ground commanders and the MADFOX unmanned surface vessel, used to provide deception and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
Photos: LPhot Joe Cater
Royal Marines from 42 Commando Boarding RFA Mounts Bay
Members of 42 Commando Fleet Contingency conducting high vertical assaults on RFA Mounts Bay as part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials. 42 Commando Royal Marine’s Fleet Contingency Troop have been conducting high vertical assault drills onto RFA Mounts Bay in Portland Harbour, supported by Offshore Raiding Craft and Coxswains from 47 Commando RM.
The training forms part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials, utilising modern communication systems and autonomous capabilities, including mobile ad hoc networking radios MPU5, Ghost drone, which provides a live feed to ground commanders and the MADFOX unmanned surface vessel, used to provide deception and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
Photos: LPhot Joe Cater
Royal Marines from M Coy hone their skills during Royal Marine Boarding Course
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The Marines of M Coy, 42 Commando RM, have been consolidating their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) on the final exercise of the RM Boarding Course at Bovington Training Area, Dorset.
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The arduous 8-week course will qualify the Commandos to take the mantle as the Fleet Contingency Troop (FCT) and will see them being held at a high state of readiness for potential deployments to key areas of national interest.
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Image: POPhot Paul Hall
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U.S. Army interpreter, Mohamed Said, instructs soldier of the Djiboutian Army’s 1st Quick Reaction Regiment his sector of fire during a training scenario at Camp Ali Oune, Djibouti, Feb. 2, 2011.
Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lindsey
ALI OUNE, Djibouti– Under an overcast sky, nearly 200 members of the Djiboutian Army’s elite 1st Rapid Action Regiment honed their infantry skills, mentored by members of the U.S. Army National Guard’s 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment.
The training included instruction on squad movements, convoy operations, contact drills, camp security and marksmanship, and was part of a one-month course which began Jan. 16 and culminated with a graduation Feb. 10. The instruction included mortar crew training and a combat engineering course, according to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nelson Perkins, mission commander and member of Charlie Company.
“Our mission here is to mentor the Djiboutian military as they prepare for upcoming missions. We’re trying to help them so they are capable of preventing conflict, establishing regional stability, and protecting coalition interests here,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Elder, an infantry squad leader with the 137th, who is a sheriff’s deputy in his hometown located near Topeka, Kan.
“My team and I are out here mentoring the soldiers and helping them along, basically giving them more tools for their toolbox. We’re showing them things that have helped us get through certain operations, and we want to help them so they can get through their future missions without any problem,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges the instructors faced was the language barrier due to few Djiboutian soldiers speaking English, according to Sgt. Jonathan Moyer, a team member with Echo Company. Instructors relied heavily on 2nd Lt. Omar Ali, Djibouti Army 2nd Company commander, who is fluent in four languages, and Mohamed Said, a Somali-born U.S. Army interpreter.
Throughout the morning, the small groups practiced team movements, and communicated contact and direction of fire. Loud whistle bursts signified enemy contact, and the Djiboutian soldiers moved succinctly, went into the prone position and assumed their staggered firing positions.
The regiment, which was established in 1991 and is comprised of a number of 20-year combat veterans, is the first unit in the Djiboutian Army called to deploy during a contingency, according to Ali. The regiment also provides border security on the Somaliland border located approximately seven miles from the camp.
“The goal for my soldiers is to prepare them for their mission and especially for a deployment under the United Nations, like they did in Haiti and Central Africa,” Ali said, who has been in the army since 2001. He attended an officer’s course with Germany’s mountain troops from 2004-2008 and will soon attend the Infantry Career Captain’s Course at Fort Benning, Ga.
According to Ali, the training is part of a continuation of training that began in September 2010 that included effective methods of instruction, commander operation skills course, a command post exercise, and company grade and noncommissioned officer courses.
Just one month ago, the newly-formed training camp consisted of just six concrete pads. Today the camp consists of about 12 tents, a mosque and a large covered classroom area.
“Camp Ali Oune is actually the first of its kind. The Djiboutians don’t have any bases here on the Somali border, and this camp is supposed to be here for quite a while. They will be utilizing the camp as a training area and for continuing operations to keep this region safe,” he said.
About two miles away in the shadow of a steep hill, other members of the Rapid Action Regiment sharpened their marksmanship skills using the Russian PKM 7.62-mm machine gun, which is the equivalent of the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Automatic gunfire and the ricochet of rounds echoed from the large rock-covered hill as each two-man team practiced firing in staccato bursts of three and five rounds.
“Very well done,” one of the instructors exclaimed after seeing a bullseye on the target of one team.
Ali said the training and mentoring provided by the 137th is beneficial because the cadre of instructors bring real-world operational experience.
“We already had a good relationship with the U.S. Army, and I have to say it’s a good thing and we have a good image of the U.S. Army,” Ali said.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica
Airmen with the 108th Contingency Response Group of the New Jersey Air National Guard train for technical rescue situations at the PATRIOT 2014 exercise at Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, Wis. July 20, 2014. Several units of the Air National Guard, Army National Guard and Reserve units from various states are working with local, state and national organizations to train on, perform and assess their ability to respond to multiple emergencies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jenna V. Lenski/Released)
Photographer - Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Pictured - Soldiers from B Company 2 Riles conduct house clearing through a village.
Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER is the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May ñ October 2013. Contingency Operations training is known as Hybrid Foundation Training or HFT.
The aim of this exercise is to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.
The exercise is split into 3 main phases. The first phase consists of a two week live firing exercise in Grafenwoer, Southern Germany, that enables the units and soldiers to refine their skills with their equipment and weapons. Training is constructed to develop skills from the individual level through to the Battlegroup level and culminates in a final attack that sees the use of helicopters, tanks, artillery and infantry combined.
The second phase will see all the exercising units transition from Grafenwoer to Hohnfels, some 100 km further south and simulates the kind of movements that are undertaken when moving an Armed force into hostile territory.
The third, and final phase is designed to test the planning and execution of combined arms manoeuvre operations in a hostile environment. The units will execute orders based on the delivery of Brigade Orders to defeat the enemy within the scenario.
2100 personnel with upto 768 vehicles ranging from Landrover, to Tanks to Apache helicopters are being exercised from 20th Armoured Brigade whose Headquarters are based in Sennelager, Germany. Approximately 500 personnel are required to support those training to ensure that supplies are maintained, vehicles are fixed and soldiers fed.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal (May 9, 2015) - Nepalese army soldiers and U.S. Air Force 36th Contingency Response Group Airmen work with Republic of Singapore Air Force members to unload relief supplies from an RSAF C-130 Hercules at the Tribhuvan International. The Nepalese army and Airmen worked together to process 537,816 pounds of cargo in a 24-hour period from 13 aircraft delivering relief supplies delivered in response to a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released) 150509-F-XN788-053
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Airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., tear down their air mobility forward support base at the edge of the Geronimo Landing Zone at Fort Polk, La., at the end of their Joint Readiness Training Center rotation 13-09, Aug. 24, 2013. The CRW specializes in rapidly establishing air mobility support operations in disaster-stricken, austere or hostile environments in response to natural disasters or combat operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres/Released)
Tech. Sgt. Brian Angell, 435th Contingency Response Group senior jumpmaster, watches as two Bulgarian paratroopers strap into a standard U.S. parachute during a flying training deployment July 17, 2013. American and Bulgarian paratroopers exchanged parachutes for the opportunity to conduct a wing exchange at the end of FTD Thracian Summer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Trevor Rhynes)
Airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., tear down their air mobility forward support base at the edge of the Geronimo Landing Zone at Fort Polk, La., at the end of their Joint Readiness Training Center rotation 13-09, Aug. 24, 2013. The CRW specializes in rapidly establishing air mobility support operations in disaster-stricken, austere or hostile environments in response to natural disasters or combat operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres/Released)
U.S. Army Africa command team visit peacekeeping training sites in Rwanda, Burundi
Story and photo by Sgt. Maj. Kimberly Williams
U.S. Army Africa
ENTEBBE, Uganda – Capacity building is a top priority for U.S. Army Africa. Therefore, during a visit to Rwanda and Burundi Oct. 19-20, Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III and Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Bronson, the command team for U.S. Army Africa, seized the opportunity to see Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance sites in both countries.
“I was very impressed by the ACOTA programs in Rwanda and Burundi, where we are working closely with our partners to increase their capacity to support peacekeeping operations,” said Garrett.
Managed and funded by the Department of State, ACOTA is an initiative designed to improve African ability to respond quickly to crises by providing selected militaries with the training and equipment required to execute humanitarian or peace support operations.
At each site, civilian facilitators work closely with U.S. military noncommissioned officers, sent to the countries as mentors, in order to provide the most up-to-date and realistic learning experience possible.
Bronson, as U.S. Army Africa’s senior NCO, took the opportunity to meet with the U.S. facilitators and mentors in both countries to determine the road ahead. In the future, said Bronson, U.S. Army Africa needs to develop a process to prepare U.S. Army mentors for their role and to match up the right individuals with the skills needed.
But, Bronson said he is very impressed with what he has seen so far in both Rwanda and Burundi.
The ACOTA program is Rwanda is focused on preparing soldiers for peacekeeping operations while deployed in Darfur, Sudan. The site in Rwanda also has a computer simulation lab, which is the only simulation center for peacekeeping support operations in Africa.
“The partnership is doing great,” said Col. Aloys Muganga, commandant of the Rwanda Military Academy at Gako, which hosts the ACOTA in Rwanda. “They have trained my people so well that we can now train ourselves.”
Similar to Rwanda, the ACOTA program in Burundi focuses on preparing soldiers for peacekeeping operations, but in this case, to Mogadishu, Somalia.
This is the seventh iteration of ACOTA in Burundi.
The four-week program in Burundi includes individual skills, collective skills, lane evaluations, weapons familiarization and live fire ranges.
The 1st Battalion of the Burundi Land Forces took part in the first ACOTA rotation in 2007 and just recently returned from deployment to Mogadishu. Now, the Burundi Land Forces are bringing in these experienced soldiers to train the next rotations.
Sgt. Norberto Ramos, from the U.S. Army National Guard’s Co. B, 165th Infantry Battalion from Puerto Rice, is in Burundi along with two other NCOs to provide mentorship during the four-week program. Ramos said he believes the ACOTA program is successful.
“This has been great,” he said. “You can see the Burundi soldiers’ eagerness to learn in their eyes. “They are a beautiful people.”
“I’m happier and more satisfied with what I’m doing here than any time before,” Ramos said. “It builds me up as a leader and a person. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here.”
CAPTION: Brig. Gen. Cyprien Ndikuriyo (left), Burundi Land Forces commander, describes the outstanding efforts of Capt. Nicolas Bashizimpaka (right), who recently returned from peacekeeping operations in Mogadishu, Somalia, as Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, U.S. Army Africa commanding general, presents a coin to Bashizimpaka. Bashizimpaka attended the first Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program in Burundi and will now pass on his first-hand knowledge to train battalions before they deploy.
Djiboutian Army 2nd Company 1st Rapid Action Regiment, 2nd Lt. Omar Ali (center), 2nd Company commander, properly positions his soldiers during a soldier techniques class as part of a training course held in Ali Oune, Djibouti, Feb 2, 2011.
Photo by Master Sgt. Dawn M. Price
ALI OUNE, Djibouti– Under an overcast sky, nearly 200 members of the Djiboutian Army’s elite 1st Rapid Action Regiment honed their infantry skills, mentored by members of the U.S. Army National Guard’s 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment.
The training included instruction on squad movements, convoy operations, contact drills, camp security and marksmanship, and was part of a one-month course which began Jan. 16 and culminated with a graduation Feb. 10. The instruction included mortar crew training and a combat engineering course, according to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nelson Perkins, mission commander and member of Charlie Company.
“Our mission here is to mentor the Djiboutian military as they prepare for upcoming missions. We’re trying to help them so they are capable of preventing conflict, establishing regional stability, and protecting coalition interests here,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Elder, an infantry squad leader with the 137th, who is a sheriff’s deputy in his hometown located near Topeka, Kan.
“My team and I are out here mentoring the soldiers and helping them along, basically giving them more tools for their toolbox. We’re showing them things that have helped us get through certain operations, and we want to help them so they can get through their future missions without any problem,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges the instructors faced was the language barrier due to few Djiboutian soldiers speaking English, according to Sgt. Jonathan Moyer, a team member with Echo Company. Instructors relied heavily on 2nd Lt. Omar Ali, Djibouti Army 2nd Company commander, who is fluent in four languages, and Mohamed Said, a Somali-born U.S. Army interpreter.
Throughout the morning, the small groups practiced team movements, and communicated contact and direction of fire. Loud whistle bursts signified enemy contact, and the Djiboutian soldiers moved succinctly, went into the prone position and assumed their staggered firing positions.
The regiment, which was established in 1991 and is comprised of a number of 20-year combat veterans, is the first unit in the Djiboutian Army called to deploy during a contingency, according to Ali. The regiment also provides border security on the Somaliland border located approximately seven miles from the camp.
“The goal for my soldiers is to prepare them for their mission and especially for a deployment under the United Nations, like they did in Haiti and Central Africa,” Ali said, who has been in the army since 2001. He attended an officer’s course with Germany’s mountain troops from 2004-2008 and will soon attend the Infantry Career Captain’s Course at Fort Benning, Ga.
According to Ali, the training is part of a continuation of training that began in September 2010 that included effective methods of instruction, commander operation skills course, a command post exercise, and company grade and noncommissioned officer courses.
Just one month ago, the newly-formed training camp consisted of just six concrete pads. Today the camp consists of about 12 tents, a mosque and a large covered classroom area.
“Camp Ali Oune is actually the first of its kind. The Djiboutians don’t have any bases here on the Somali border, and this camp is supposed to be here for quite a while. They will be utilizing the camp as a training area and for continuing operations to keep this region safe,” he said.
About two miles away in the shadow of a steep hill, other members of the Rapid Action Regiment sharpened their marksmanship skills using the Russian PKM 7.62-mm machine gun, which is the equivalent of the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Automatic gunfire and the ricochet of rounds echoed from the large rock-covered hill as each two-man team practiced firing in staccato bursts of three and five rounds.
“Very well done,” one of the instructors exclaimed after seeing a bullseye on the target of one team.
Ali said the training and mentoring provided by the 137th is beneficial because the cadre of instructors bring real-world operational experience.
“We already had a good relationship with the U.S. Army, and I have to say it’s a good thing and we have a good image of the U.S. Army,” Ali said.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Feb. 26, 2022) - Airmen of the 123rd Contingency Response Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, prepare to offload materiel from a U.S. Air Force C-130J from the California Air National Guard during Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022. Joint Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 increases the National Guard’s capacity to operate in austere, extreme cold-weather environments across Alaska and the Arctic region. AEP22 enhances the ability of military and civilian inter-agency partners to respond to a variety of emergency and homeland security missions across Alaska and the Arctic. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. LeAnne (Ian) Withrow) 220226-A-VL305-0046
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Maj. Mike Welch, 621st Contingency Response Wing air mobility liaison officer assigned to the U.S. Army’s 1st Theatre Sustainment Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., sets up a marker for a C-130 Hercules circling over the drop zone at Fort Polk, La., Aug. 17, 2013, during Joint Readiness Training Center rotation 13-09. Air Mobility Command AMLOs are rated pilots or navigators assigned to U.S. Army and Marine units who coordinate with joint and coalition partners for Air Force air mobility services. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres/Released)
Remarks
Andrew J. Shapiro
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
Remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Washington, DC
August 8, 2012
************************
Thank you John. Thank you very much for having me. It is my distinct pleasure to be here at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I want to congratulate John and the entire organization on the 50th anniversary of the creation of CSIS. Since its founding, CSIS has been at the center of critical foreign policy debates and has proved to be a vital resource for those of us in government. So I want to congratulate and thank CSIS for the great work it does and hope that it experiences another 50 years of excellence.
I can also think of no better place to speak about the work we are doing to improve interagency – and in particular, State-Defense collaboration. While this may not be the most attention-grabbing topic, it is of vital importance to U.S. national security – something that I know is well understood here at CSIS. And I know this because a number of CSIS reports have called for better interagency cooperation. In fact, a CSIS report this very July on stabilization and reconstruction, noted that “almost all experts cite the need for improved interagency coordination.” So I think I am at the right place to talk about the significant progress that we are making.
Under this administration, there has been a sea-change in State-Defense cooperation. In previous Administrations – both Republican and Democratic – relations between the two departments were often characterized by suspicion and distrust. Under the leadership of Secretary Clinton, as well as former Secretary Gates and Secretary Panetta, relations between State and DoD are the best they have ever been. The cooperation between the State Department and the Pentagon is truly unprecedented and I think this will be remembered as one of Secretary Clinton’s lasting legacies.
As Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, I oversee the bureau that serves as the principal link between the State Department and the Department of Defense. And under the Secretary’s direction we have been working to make tangible advances to interagency collaboration. Today I want to talk to you about some of the significant steps we are taking in the Political-Military Affairs Bureau to strengthen the interagency relationship. We are not simply finding new ways to cooperate. We are also institutionalizing this cooperation to make it lasting and durable.
But before I go into the specific steps, let me first talk briefly about why interagency coordination is so important.
The challenge of coordinating diplomacy and defense is not unique to the U.S. In fact, when I lead joint Political-Military Dialogues with foreign partners, I often see other countries struggling with this first hand. Frequently, I’ll hear from someone on the other side about how useful these talks were in forcing their Foreign and Defense ministries to actually communicate with each other. So the problem of coordinating between agencies is not a unique challenge just to our government.
However, in many ways the coordination challenges are unique and more necessary for the United States. We not only conduct a truly global foreign policy, but we also have a truly global military posture. In fact, the very impetus for creating the Political-Military Affairs Bureau at the State Department came as early as the 1960s.
As the U.S. was expanding its global presence during the Cold War, the State Department felt that it not only needed a bureau to focus on security from a global perspective, but it also needed one that would serve as a dedicated link to DoD.
The need for State and DoD to coordinate has become even more essential today. In a world that is increasingly interconnected, with global supply chains, highly developed global financial systems, and unprecedented global travel and connectivity, the potential impact of both state-based and transnational threats has become magnified. As Secretary Clinton observed: “the geometry of global power is becoming more distributed and diffuse even as the challenges we face become more complex and cross-cutting.” The complex and cross-cutting nature of today’s challenges was all too evident in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is a feature of transnational challenges, such as piracy off the Horn of Africa.
The need for a more multifaceted and integrated approach to address these challenges is clearly understood by Secretary Clinton. At her confirmation hearing, she outlined the need for what she called “smart power” – noting that we must use “the full range of tools at our disposal – diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural – picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation.” She also noted that “with smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy.”
Secretary Clinton also understands that improving the State-Defense relationship is fundamental to advancing this approach. This view was deeply shared by Secretary Gates, who had long sought to improve relations and was a strong advocate for the State Department on Capitol Hill. Both understood that improving relations started at the top. At a joint appearance in 2009, Secretary Gates noted that through most of his career the Secretaries of State and Defense often “weren't speaking to one another… It could get pretty ugly,” he remarked. When those at the top are engaged in internecine bureaucratic fighting, it can filter down the bureaucratic chain, choking-off cooperation. But, as Gates said, the reverse is also true: “if the bureaucracies realize that the principals get along and work together…it radiates downward.” The close coordination among principals can create a broader culture of collaboration between respective agencies, where energy once spent fighting turf battles can instead be devoted to getting things done. This strong relationship between Secretaries has continued under Secretary Panetta, who in one of his first public appearances as Secretary of Defense argued that the State Department’s budget “is absolutely essential to our national security.” As you may have noticed, you don’t see many stories in the press of policy disagreements in this Administration descending into bureaucratic backstabbing – and that’s for a reason. The working relationships are better than ever.
This is important because the partnership with the Department of Defense spans the entirety of regional and functional diplomacy at the Department of State. Counterterrorism, counternarcotics, counter proliferation, energy security, and counter trafficking are just some of the areas in which we work together. Interaction occurs daily and crosses the full spectrum of activities. In the broad area of foreign policy in the security sector, it is impossible to find an instance where State-DoD dialogue is not occurring.
But while the improved relations at the top have been widely noticed, what is less recognized is that Secretaries Clinton, Gates, and Panetta have also pushed us to make tangible advancements to find ways to improve, expand, and institutionalize collaboration.
So now let me turn to some of the tangible steps we are taking to improve interagency cooperation.
One of the principal ways we are improving collaboration is through personnel exchanges. Foreign policy and diplomacy is about building and tending to relationships. This is what the State Department does. But for too long, we weren’t building this sort of durable relationship with our partners across the river. Contact and communication were stove-piped. Counter-parts working on the same issues often didn’t know each other. One way we have worked to change that is through increased personnel exchanges and interaction.
This past January, State and DoD signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, which effectively doubles the number of personnel exchanged between our Departments. This was no easy task. The coordination process took two years of continuous back and forth. Once the agreement was finally signed, a General who was working with me and my team noted that something this bureaucratically difficult and complicated to complete was going to last a long time. And that of course is the point.
Under the prior personnel exchange agreement, the State Department was actually sending more people to DoD than DoD was sending to State, despite the dramatic size differences between agencies. Under the new arrangement, approximately 100 DoD personnel will be detailed to State, while approximately 95 State Department Foreign Policy Advisors will be assigned to DoD. In addition, 30 State personnel will also serve as faculty advisors at the war colleges.
Among the key positions newly created by this expanded agreement is the first-ever Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also under the agreement, a 2-star flag officer is to serve as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Political-Military Affairs Bureau. Prior to this Administration, State hadn’t had a flag officer serving as a Deputy Assistant Secretary since George Schultz was Secretary of State.
The State Department will also benefit greatly from the expanded number of military officers that will serve in Foggy Bottom. A number of them are currently working in my Bureau and throughout the State Department – and they provide us with critical insight and expertise into the methods and practices of the military.
The agreement also importantly institutionalizes the growth of the Foreign Policy Advisor program. Foreign Policy Advisors, also known by the acronym POLADs, are Foreign Service Officers that are assigned to serve with military commands. Their job is to serve as foreign policy advisors and to act as a link between military commands and the State Department. They play a critical role in making sure that the U.S. Government speaks with one voice, as they help ensure that DoD policies and military activities are in sync with U.S. foreign policy.
The growth of the program over the past several years has been remarkable. In the last four years, the number of POLAD positions has approximately doubled. It was just a few short years ago that POLADS were found only with the four-star service chiefs and with the combatant commanders. Now POLADs are posted to every Service headquarters, to every Unified Combatant Command, and to the majority of the component and subordinate commands. Recently U.S. Africa Command voluntarily funded four additional State Foreign Service Officers to serve in directorates dealing with regional affairs, counterterrorism, and public diplomacy. The POLAD presence with other commands, such as U.S. Special Operations Command, has also expanded.
This is testament to their increasing utility to our military leaders. Military commanders now rely on the input of POLADs on a whole host of issues. For example, when the Haiti earthquake struck, U.S. Transportation Command or TRANSCOM dispatched its POLAD to help coordinate humanitarian relief on the ground. He spent eight weeks eating MREs and living in a tent next to a runway, right along with his DoD counterparts. He helped ensure that USAID and others bringing in supplies got where they needed to go and were synched with the TRANSCOM team that was keeping Haiti’s damaged main port open.
Many of the POLADs assigned to Commands are very senior Foreign Service Officers, including former Ambassadors. But one challenge we faced as the program grew was that we needed to attract more junior and mid-level Foreign Service Officers to a job that had not necessarily been seen as career enhancing. This is where Secretary Clinton’s emphasis on collaboration with DoD and her support for the program – describing it as “more essential than ever” – has helped increase its profile and attract talented officers. This is critical, not just because we were trying to fill positions, but because junior and mid-level Foreign Service Officers have decades of service ahead of them. And the knowledge, connections, friendships, and political-military skills they will develop during their tours as POLADs will help strengthen the linkages between State and the Pentagon – not just for the next few years – but for decades to come.
During the past decade many State Department officers gained experience working with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. But with the withdrawal from Iraq and the drawdown in Afghanistan, there are now fewer opportunities for State Department officers to gain experience working with the military. The POLAD program is therefore essential to maintaining and developing a cadre of pol-mil savvy Foreign Service Officers, which over the coming years and decades will foster even deeper integration with the Defense Department.
Additionally, through the State-Defense Integration Initiative, the State Department has dramatically expanded the number of events, seminars, conferences, and briefings it holds for military personnel. Thousands of DoD personnel – from three or four star flag officers to enlisted personnel – are now coming to the State Department to learn more about how it works and to hear from State Department experts. In 2012, we’ll host 80 seminars and conferences for different DoD organizations at the State Department. And we are looking for new ways to engage. For instance, we recently arranged for a State Department desk officer to brief deploying Marines by video teleconference before they departed. In the past, these sorts of events were ad hoc. Today we are working to both dramatically expand the number of events and make them routine.
A second area where we are increasing cooperation is in planning. State input into DoD planning has increased substantially. Through new and existing initiatives, such as the 3D Planning Group, interagency planning events, and military advisors assigned to the State Department, collaboration between State and DoD continues to expand and mature.
One important recurring forum for State input into DoD planning is what we call the Promote Cooperation series of interagency planning events. These events allow State – as well as other Departments and Agencies – a chance to review and provide input to DoD plans. State has also increased its involvement in DoD’s strategic planning guidance and the Quadrennial Defense Review. The Political-Military Affairs Bureau, or as we call it in the State Department – PM, leads State’s efforts to shape U.S. global defense posture. After current operations, defense posture is the most politically sensitive issue for U.S. foreign policy, since any adjustment sends a signal – intended or not – to our allies, partners, and potential adversaries alike. State’s involvement in this area is critical. As U.S. global defense posture continues to evolve, PM plays a vital role in linking offices within the State Department with planning efforts at DoD. This includes providing State input into overseas force structure changes, posture master plans, theater posture plans and, as appropriate, the discussion of defense posture matters with our partners as part of bilateral political-military dialogues. We also coordinate State’s participation in DoD exercises. These are often the single greatest demonstration of our commitment to the security of our allies and partners and can be very diplomatically sensitive. The State Department therefore reviews each and every significant military exercise to ensure they advance U.S. foreign policy.
For example, U.S. Pacific Command has hundreds of thousands of troops in the Asia-Pacific region. At any one time, there are some 40,000 service members sailing around the Pacific and Indian Oceans aboard U.S. Navy ships. It is vitally important that the employment of these forces – whether pertaining to the exercises in which they participate, the ports of call they visit, or the security cooperation engagements they facilitate – be closely planned and coordinated with State on a consistent basis.
This engagement is also a two-way street. From Secretary Clinton’s experience serving on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate, she saw the effectiveness of DoD planning efforts. And when she became Secretary of State she sought to apply some of those practices to the State Department. The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review or QDDR was modeled after the Quadrennial Defense Review or QDR, and it laid out the need for reforms to State’s strategic planning processes. We are in the process of implementing those reforms to our planning system, which will provide greater opportunities for State and DoD, as well as other U.S. Government agencies represented on embassy country teams, to improve cooperation.
Third, we are working with DoD to improve our ability to partner with other countries in the security sector. Building the security capabilities of our partners is a critical national security priority.
And we are working closely with DoD, as well as the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, to update and modernize our export control system to better protect our sensitive technologies, as well as to improve our ability to partner. We are also well synched with DoD as we strengthen our security partnerships in Asia, particularly by expanding defense trade with longstanding allies and new emerging powers in the region. In Iraq, we completed the largest military-to-civilian transition since the Marshall Plan.
The State Department also negotiates all security agreements, including Status of Forces Agreements, Defense Cooperation Agreements, access and transit agreements, and cost-sharing agreements. These help ensure freedom of movement of U.S. forces and are a key part of U.S. global defense posture. We have made significant progress in developing the Northern Distribution Network, which has proved critical to support U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Critical to expanding and strengthening our partnerships is U.S. security assistance. Security assistance includes a broad array of tools - from direct military grant assistance, to licensing the sale or transfer of military items and equipment, to peacekeeping training programs, and support for demining efforts. The State Department has the lead in directing and managing security assistance because these programs have broad foreign policy implications. That’s why the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act require that the Secretary of State oversee and authorize all arms transfers.
However, over the last decade the sometimes urgent need to provide security assistance to our partners led to the creation of new authorities and funds often under DoD control. Concerns arose that State authority was eroding, and a confusing array of authorities and programs was being created. In response, we have been working with DoD to improve coordination, as well as to improve U.S. government ability to provide security assistance to partners.
A clear example of this is the creation of the Global Security Contingency Fund or GSCF. This fund serves as a new business model, emphasizing collaboration and the interrelated nature of defense, diplomacy, and development. It is innovative in a few ways:
One particular way is how GSCF is funded. What makes GSCF unprecedented is its requirement to pool resources. Last year, Congress authorized GSCF’s formation, enabling State and DoD to pool up to $250 million in resources. Given the resource disparity between the agencies, DoD can allocate up to $200 million, while State at least $50 million. Rather than two departments fighting over resources, this fund makes us work and contribute together.
Another innovative aspect of GSCF is its joint structure. Housed at the Department of State, the Fund will be staffed by personnel from State and DoD, and can pull in people from other relevant agencies as well. The director of the fund is from the State Department and the Deputy is from DoD. Additionally, the fund requires that both the Secretaries of State and Defense approve the countries eligible for funding through GSCF. We believe the joint structure will encourage joint planning and ensure we are working on the same page.
GSCF is also innovative in its ability to respond to unanticipated events. GSCF is designed to provide security sector assistance to partner countries in response to urgent and emergent challenges and opportunities. Currently, many existing programs are planned and budgeted years in advance and are not always able to respond quickly to emerging events or to help countries address urgent needs. GSCF provides us with the agility and resources needed to respond rapidly to crises. When a crisis erupts or an opportunity presents itself, we will no longer be starting from scratch, arguing in the interagency over who has what authority and who has what capability. We will simply be able to get started.
We are now working to stand up the fund and to identify the first recipient countries. Importantly, this fund will preserve the Secretary of State’s leadership and authority over security assistance, while at the same time leveraging the resources and planning capability of the Defense Department.
A fourth and final area where we are working closely with DoD and other interagency partners to improve coordination is in addressing transnational global security challenges. Let me provide you with a few examples that are emblematic of the types of interagency approaches necessary to effectively address transnational security threats.
When the conflict in Libya unfolded, we worked together closely with DoD and our interagency colleagues to combat weapons proliferation. Through the Interagency MANPADS task force – which focuses on combating the proliferation of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles – the State Department led the effort to combat MANPADS proliferation in Libya. Sometimes the State Department is accused of not being deployable when a crisis strikes. Well, in the case of Libya, we had a State Department MANPADS expert on the ground in Benghazi as fighting was still going on. We also deployed our Quick Reaction Force, which is made up of teams of experts, to assist the Transitional National Council in securing and destroying these weapons. As the violence grows in Syria, the MANPADS task force is building off its experience in Libya to plan and prepare for possible contingencies in Syria.
We are working together to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. While piracy on the high seas is not new, its modern day form is a prime example of a security challenge that cannot simply be solved through military means. When this Administration came to office piracy was spiraling out of control. In response, we drew on all components of national power. We ramped up our naval response, helped build an international coalition with more than 70 nations, pushed industry to do more to protect itself at sea, and we pursued pirate networks by targeting financiers. This means Justice, FBI, Treasury, State, USAID, Defense, and the private sector are all involved. This is smart power in action. And these efforts are paying off. Successful pirate attacks are down dramatically. 2011 had 50 percent fewer successful attacks than in 2010. And there has been a 70 percent decline in hostages held since January 2011.
The United States has become a leader in training and supporting international peacekeepers – which is critical to advancing stability and denying space for terrorists, pirates, traffickers, and other transnational actors to operate. The principal U.S. mechanism for assisting peacekeeping operations is a security assistance program called the Global Peace Operations Initiative, or GPOI, which helps train prospective UN or international peacekeepers. This program has contributed to the training of more than 206,000 peacekeepers since 2005 – of which roughly 80 percent have deployed to serve in peacekeeping operations, while others are serving as trainers or administrators overseeing their country’s peacekeeping deployments. GPOI is also a prime example of an effective and productive partnership between the Departments of State and Defense. Currently, DoD implements approximately half of the GPOI program’s efforts to build peacekeeping capacity in partner countries through the regional Combatant Commands. The State Department implements the other half, primarily through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance or ACOTA program. This effort is helping the world meet the growing demand for international peacekeepers.
CONCLUSION - BUDGET
Before I close – it is important to note that while we are making progress, many challenges remain. I’m sure many here in the audience could point out areas where coordination could be improved and where collaboration is lacking. We will never have perfect coordination. There is always more that can be done.
Going forward, we will need to lock in the progress we have made and constantly work to develop and institutionalize our cooperation. While the State Department’s involvement in planning has significantly expanded, there is still room to grow and regularize our involvement. In the years ahead, we will also need to work to preserve and maintain State Department authority over security assistance, which is a critical foreign policy tool.
Additionally, responding to new transnational challenges will require us to work closer than ever before. We are seeing this in the multi-agency response to Somali piracy and through the Merida Initiative to support Mexico’s efforts to combat narco-trafficking. Our responses to new transnational threats will need to become less ad hoc and more regularized, as these are all security threats that lack pure military solutions.
One of the biggest challenges for State-DoD collaboration is the sheer difference in size and resources between our two respective departments. It can be as obvious as when we host a simple meeting and find ourselves vastly outnumbered by our DoD colleagues. This asymmetry in the relationship can even become counterproductive when our respective activities in the field fall out of proportion – which is part of the reason that the QDDR stressed the importance of Chief of Mission authority. Our ambassadors in the field – the Chiefs of the U.S. mission – are responsible for overseeing U.S. activities and personnel in a given country and ensuring that all of the elements of national power are working in synch. After all, we’re all on the same team, working hard to advance our economic prosperity and our national security.
Unfortunately, there remains a lingering misperception out there that funding for the State Department isn’t as essential to strengthening our country’s national security. Of course, our defense colleagues know better, just ask Secretary Panetta or General Dempsey. They understand that investments in development and diplomacy today will make it less likely that we ask our troops to deploy tomorrow. It’s important that elected officials, too, understand that the State Department and USAID – with just one percent of the federal budget – make an outsized contribution to keeping America safe. And it’s important that we fund them accordingly – it will save us both blood and treasure.
In this era of complex and integrated challenges, it is more important than ever that we continue to improve State-DoD relations. I believe that the tangible progress we have made under Secretaries Clinton, Gates, and Panetta, is durable and will have a lasting impact. But ultimately strengthening the State-Defense relationship is just like strengthening any relationship – it requires constant tending and constant effort.
Thank you very much. And I look forward to the discussion.
A convoy of vehicles from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade 1st Cavalry Division, arrives on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Oct. 7. The unit, which is the first self-redeploying unit to leave Iraq, passed through COB Adder to allow soldiers to rest and refuel before heading on to Kuwait.
Sgt. Victor Aguirre, 509th Signal Battalion (rear), observes Spc. James Lagerstrom adjust cables on a satellite dish on communications gear associated with the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element.
Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office
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When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.
The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.
“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.
During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.
“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.
Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.
“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.
NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH
Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.
“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”
Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.
“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.
USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.
“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”
In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.
LADOT - Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Transportation and Traffic Management Plan and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Ciclavia Meets The East, Central and West Hollywoods Open Streets for the People Powered Bikes and Pedestrians with Non-Motorized Vehicular Traffic in the Cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood Open Streets Bicycle Route followed by La Brea Avenue is a (Anti-Gridlock Zone and Do Not Block Intersection signage) general crossing point for automobiles and bikes to cross traffic for automobiles intersection traffic signal green lights, left turn protected permissive yellow green arrow lights (No U Turn signage), pedestrian crosswalk crossing white walking lights located at Hollywood area in Los Angeles, California 90038 and the City Limits of West Hollywood, California 90046 - 90069.
This is the continuous Ciclavia Meets The Hollywoods between East and West Hollywood Bike Route.
(Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Division Patrol Station Number 6, LAPD West Traffic Division Station Number 27, LADOT - Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Parking Enforcement Hollywood Division Agency 54 on 411 North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California 90004-3512, Los Angeles City Council District 13 Office of Councilmember Mitchell O’Farrell transitioning into Hugo Soto-Martinez)
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USARAF Contingency Command Post Chief, Lt. Col. Mike Larsen, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Photo by U.S. Army Africa
A quick response by U.S. Army Africa to a request from U.S. Ambassador to the Ivory Coast, Phillip Carter III, evolved into an evacuation mission April 3.
Conflicting factions in and around the city of Abidjan had created dangerous conditions for civilian State Department employees, resulting in their relocation to safe havens. Within 36 hours of receiving the mission, a six-man USARAF team was on its way to Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The team was led by Lt. Col. Mike Larsen, USARAF Contingency Command Post Chief, and consisted of Lt. Col. Nicolas Lovelace, Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Drafall, and U.S. Marines Staff Sgt. Pete Schumacher and Sgt. John Tillman, and Paul Levine, a Department of the Army civilian.
“Our team accomplished the mission very rapidly. We received our orders, packed, performed a quick SRP (Soldier Readiness Processing) and flew within a day,” Larsen said.
Traveling to Abidjan, in a C-130J, the team integrated with a joint operations command at Licorne, a French military base under the command of Brig. Gen. Jean-Pierre Palasset.
The political landscape in the Ivory Coast had been unstable since December, in the wake of a national presidential election, losing incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to recognize the winner, Alassane Ouattara.
According to Larsen, the streets of Abidjan were in turmoil when the USARAF team arrived. Roadblocks and factional fighting added to the danger and confusion of the situation. The USARAF team was unable to reach the U.S. Embassy through normal ground routes. At Licorne, they set up operations and communications links to home base in Vicenza, Italy.
“Things continued to fester and become more unstable in the Ivory Coast,” Larsen said. “Tensions from a previous civil war and cultural differences added to the general instability of the life in the Ivory Coast since the election.
“When we arrived in Abidjan a lot was occurring and the two factions were on the verge a major engagement. Lines of communication were cut-off. It was difficult to tell who the good guys were at many of the roadblocks that were set up. It was impossible to make it to the embassy from the ground, and several U.S. diplomats were in need of a safe haven,” Larsen said.
The French forces quickly established assembly areas where civilians were picked up and taken to the airport near the French base.
Larsen said Abidjan was rife with a variety of military activity and para-military personnel. In addition to the two combative Ivorian factions and various militia units, there was a large U.N. presence and French forces at Licorne Base. He explained the assistance provided by French troops and their leadership enabled the USARAF team to set up and begin their mission of finding and relocating more than 70 civilians from Abidjan.
“We would have been completely inefficient without the French military. It was refreshing and enlightening to work with the French Army. They were completely transparent and their operation was impressively efficient,” Larsen said.
“At assembly areas the French were balanced and professional. It was balance between lethal action, political pressure and force protection. At roadblocks French forces were careful to not to inject themselves into the confusion. Not one of the displaced embassy civilians were injured and it was amazing that for the amount of violence that surrounded them, only one French soldier was wounded by small-arms fire,” he said.
“It was clear French forces followed the UN’s mandate to protect the civilian population from the warring factions and additionally recognizing the legitimacy of president Ouattara,” Larsen said.
In a letter to Larsen, Drafall was credited by Ambassador Carter for his work during the mission.
“I want you to know how critical Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Drafall was to our operations in Abidjan, and how much I appreciated his work in support of the Embassy during an incredibly difficult and dangerous time in Cote d'Ivoire,” Carter said.
“During this time, I received calls from Ambassador Yates, Secretary Clinton, and President Obama, each of whom thanked the team here for loyal and steadfast duty during the crisis. This team includes the chief. His work with U.S. Africa Command and subordinate units and the country team here was critical to the success of the embassy,” Carter said.
For Lovelace, who is with USARAF’s International Military Affairs Division, Security Cooperation Directorate, the success of the mission was a result of prior training and coordination with the French.
“In Paris, Lt. Col. Larsen and I engaged the French joint staff during initial joint operations planning in December,” he said. Later, Lovelace participated in Lion Torch, a deployment to the Ivory Coast where he established critical relationships with key members of the French Joint Task Force at Licorne.
Lovelace echoed Larsen’s assessment of the team’s communications crew.
“Our two JSCE Marine NCOs are expert communicators. They knew the environment and exactly what it took to rapidly establish communications between our team at the French base, our headquarters in Vicenza and the embassy,” Lovelace said.
For JSCE communications NCO Schumacher, the Ivory Coast mission was all about teamwork.
“The collaboration between USARAF and JCSE members of the team was top-notch. Our mission went nearly flawlessly, our travel in and out of the country went smoothly,” Schumacher said.
“While on the ground in Abidjan, our equipment came up quickly and supported the team. Our French hosts were extremely accommodating and efficient in carrying out all operations with less technology and older equipment,” he said.
Larsen, who will soon take the helm of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rdAirborne Brigade Combat Team, summed up the mission.
“This was a team effort and this experience with USARAF had made me a better officer. It’s given me a better appreciation and understanding of how embassies work and component commands work. It’s been a professionally rewarding experience,” Larsen said.
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Hosts and guests of the U.S. AFRICOM C4ISR Senior Leader Conference tour a winery in the hills above Vicenza, Italy, Feb. 3, 2011.
U.S. Army Africa photo by David Ruderman
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.
The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.
The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”
The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.
“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.
Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.
“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.
African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.
“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.
U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.
He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.
“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.
“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.
“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.
He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.
“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.
Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.
Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.
“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.
He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.
“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.
“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.
“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.
“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”
The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.
“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.
“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.
“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.
“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.
“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.
“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.
“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?
“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.
Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.
“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.
Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.
“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”
“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.
“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.
“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”
The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.
“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.
“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.
“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.
Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.
“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.
“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.
“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.
“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.
Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.
“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.
“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.
“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.
“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.
Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.
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Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group remove the transport wheels from a mobile airfield operations center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 17, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Airmen are operating an Intermediate Staging Base in Dakar to funnel humanitarian aid and military support equipment into affected areas, working in concert with Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 689th Rapid Port Opening Element to staff a Joint Task Force-Port Opening. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)