USAID - DoD Personnel Exchange
USAID and DoD recently instituted a personnel exchange to strengthen civilian-military relations in overseas stabilization and reconstruction (S&R) activities. Senior development advisors (SDAs) from USAID are posted in five DoD combatant commands (COCOMs): Special Operations (SOCOM), Central (CENTCOM), Europe (EUCOM), Pacific (PACOM), and Joint Forces Command (JFCOM). With years of experience in the field, SDAs advise senior military officers on the development considerations of S&R activities. In turn, DoD liaison officers (LNOs) are placed in USAID bureaus, providing day-to-day coordination and management while reinforcing USAID-DoD cooperation.
The USAID-DoD personnel exchange has several objectives:
- Build mutual understanding on both sides. Until USAID and DoD staff understand each others' mission, objectives, resources, and capabilities, there can only be limited collaboration.
- Identify areas in which USAID and DoD complement one another and areas in which one has a comparative advantage over the other. These areas will have the greatest potential for civilian-military collaboration.
- Achieve greater USAID/DoD planning and implementation collaboration in the field, not just in Washington.
- Develop a common agenda for USAID/COCOM collaboration. SDAs and LNOs can accelerate this difficult interagency process that requires agreement from USAID regional and technical bureaus and the COCOMs.
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