Promoting Interagency Unity of Effort between AFRICOM and U.S. Embassy Country Teams (ECTs) in Africa
Abstract
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was established by the Department of Defense in 2007 to great fanfare and controversy. Promoted as a promising model of "interagency unity of effort," AFRICOM has faced challenges in meeting this objective. This paper provides three prescriptive enablers that promote greater interagency unity of effort between AFRICOM and U.S. Embassy Country Teams (ECTs) in Africa to advance U.S. national security interests in Africa. The three enablers are as follows: (1) AFRICOM directly supporting U.S. Embassy Country Team Mission Strategic and Resource Plans (MSRPs), (2) AFRICOM synchronizing its "military diplomacy" initiatives with U.S. Embassy Country Teams (ECTs) to advance their "smart power" goals, and (3) the Department of State (DoS) and U.S. government agencies with representation on U.S. Embassy Country Teams in Africa institutionalizing operational best practices to bolster interagency unity of effort between ECTs and AFRICOM.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA563838
Entities
People
- Irvin Hicks Jr.
Organizations
- Naval War College