Cultural Momentum: The Impact of Agency on Foreign Area Officer Support to the Geographic Combatant Commands

Abstract

Department of Defense policy states that in order "to achieve national security objectives and success in current and future operations," the Military Departments are to develop a cadre of Foreign Area Officers. This cadre is to maintain a knowledge of regional, cultural, linguistic, and political-military affairs in support to the Combatant Commands and other Joint and Interagency organizations. Foreign Area Officers subsequently represent the Department of Defense to foreign governments and military organizations in conducting military-diplomatic missions. The Military Departments, in turn, developed and implemented independent Foreign Area Officer programs in response to the 2005 policy (Department of Defense Directive 1315.17, Military Department Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Programs) and subsequent implementing guidance (Department of Defense Instruction 1315.20, Management of Department of Defense (DoD) Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Programs). Distinct Service cultures, combined with relatively autonomous Service programs, however, result in differentiated force development and force presentation. This differentiation ultimately causes variations in Foreign Area Officer quality, capability, and availability in support of the Geographic Combatant Commands. Combatant Commanders rely heavily on Foreign Area Officer expertise, whether contributing to Operational Contingency Planning or representing the Commander and Secretary of Defense before Partner Nation strategic leadership. Peter Feavers agency theory provides a framework for identifying and analyzing the varying degrees of alignment between the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Services, and the Geographic Combatant Commands. Given a supporting-supported relationship within the hierarchical Department of Defense structure, a further developed Joint FAO Program at OSDs level would more closely align the Services preferences and the Geographic Combatant Commands requirements.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2015
Accession Number
AD1015773

Entities

People

  • Robert Iii E. O'keefe

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Instructors
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States Southern Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • International Journalism and Media Studies.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.