DEFM 410 Assign IV-Prieto

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IA <1> International Affairs American Military University, Charlestown, West Virginia DEFM 410: Program Appraisal May 29, 2022 Mission

IA <1> The federal government and elected or appointed officials have a huge task when it comes to national politics. The word task is effortlessly printed on this paper but the actual application of the word is a lot more tedious and is comparable to a nation’s laundry list of chores. The practice of politics and the endeavor of refining legislation, creating laws and managing annual budgets for the United States is a challenge. Now combine national affairs strategies with international affairs strategies, and the subjectivity and the application of the word politics transforms into international affairs seamlessly. In the respect of global political powers, the United States fairs well amongst its cohorts and the nation’s international affairs are quite reputable, but it is blemished. In this paper, I will discuss political leaders' response to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) annual report on opportunities to reduce fragmentation, overlap and duplication, while saving billions in future taxpayers' dollars. Additionally, I will discuss two of the 28 areas in which the GAO addresses the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government. Alignment of Foreign Assistance Strategies Effective Foreign Assistance The U.S. Department of State is the agency responsible for diplomatic, strategic, and

IA <1> international affairs, and acts as a bridge or liaison between nations. The mission for the Department of State is to protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive, (state.gov, 2022). Within the Department of State is a bureau called the Office of Foreign Assistance. The Office of Foreign Assistance leads the coordination of U.S. foreign assistance. It advances U.S. national security and development objectives by coordinating policy, planning, and performance management efforts; promoting evidence-informed decision making; and providing strategic direction for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development foreign assistance resources, (state.gov, 2022). There are three main categories in which the Office of Foreign Assistance lends them expertise and aid when it comes to foreign assistance. Those categories are as follows— economic and developmental assistance, humanitarian assistance and security assistance. To reduce fragmentation when employing foreign assistance leaders must understand that constant refinement and varying techniques are required in today's technological era. According to gao.gov, Many foreign assistance strategies related to health, security, and democracy assistance that GAO reviewed at least partially addressed key elements GAO identified that help ensure the strategies are aligned. Prior work has found that consistently addressing these

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IA <1> elements, related to interagency coordination, strategic integration, and assessment of Progress is important for, among other things, better managing fragmentation in strategic planning (2018). A recent success story for effective foreign assistance falls in the security assistance category. The Department of Defense (DOD) assisted the Office of Foreign Assistance and assimilated a new military unit called the Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFAB). There are five active-duty brigades and six national guard brigades. These brigades are aligned geographically to enable combatant commanders the employment of smaller units in theater to help reach national defense strategy objectives while increasing partnerships, bolstering foreign security forces and refine foreign policy priorities. Now, once could argue that the SFAB which was created in 2017 is still in it infancy stage and too new of a concept to fully understand their effectiveness and influence. But I can tell them from first-hand experience that the SFAB is currently deployed all over the globe and they are conducting persistent missions in countries that have not had American soldiers step foot in that county for years. They are advising and assisting foreign security forces on law enforcement and national defense, and conducting subject matter expert engagements (SMEEs) with over 70 countries globally. One may ask what the big deal is, is not that what the Army is supposed to do? Typically, the Army would deploy in support of a named operation or campaign and occupy a large military base but the objective would not stimulate the foreign security

IA <1> assistance. The SFABs deal solely with foreign security forces assistance and theater security cooperation plans. The U.S. Department of State works very closely with the SFAB and foreign countries’ embassies to ensure that the right personnel are in place in theater to meet or exceed the foreign security forces assistance strategies. One method that allows the SFAB so much freedom of maneuver through varied countries is the type of funding that is allocated to each of the theaters which prevents fragmentation or duplication. The Department of State and SFAB utilize the Security Cooperation Programs Handbook to align agencies with foreign security programs and explicitly label the following; purposes, authorizations, appropriations, guidance, countries eligible, value of program, restrictions; key players and execution. The SFAB is very unique in that it operates and uses allocated resources to help provide security assistance to foreign security forces. The SFAB uses three titles in particular to help shape the foreign security forces assistance to help meet our nation’s international strategic plan. Those titles are; 312, Payment of Personnel Expenses Necessary for Theater Security Cooperations; 321, Training with Friendly Foreign Countries: Payment of Training and Exercises Expenses; and 333, Foreign Security Forces: Authority to Build Capacity. The Security Cooperation Program Handbook is an essential guide that provides clear guidance on resources, allocations, and chain of authorities. The previously listed titles are just three of over 50 titles that if followed correctly, will provide smooth transitions between leadership and

IA <1> agencies while increasing the foreign security assistance programs and decrease fragmentation and duplication. Coordination of Overseas Stabilization Efforts Improved Coordination & Effectiveness The U.S. Department of State has taken initiative to help better understand the symbiotic relationship between civil and military integration and cooperation in global areas affected by conflict. According to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 Joint Strategic Plan Framework, the U.S. Department of State has created five goals to help leverage resources and increase collaboration and effectiveness. Goal 1: Renew US leadership and mobilize coalitions to address global challenges that have the greatest impact on American’s security and well-being. Goal 2: Promote global prosperity and shape international environment in which the United States can thrive. Goal 3: Strengthen democratic institutions, uphold universal values, and promote human Dignity. Goal 4: Revitalize the diplomatic and development workforce and institutions. Goal 5: Serve U.S. Citizens around the world and facilitate secure international travel. (state.gov, 2022). With these five goals in mind, each goal has an objective and sub objectives that will enable the

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IA <1> correct agency to act and facilitate agreements, shape understanding, share knowledge and improve overall quality of the overseas stabilization efforts. Additionally, in the Stabilization Assistance Review (SAR) the findings were clear and have also been mentioned in other GAO reports but it states; To achieve our national security goals in a fiscally responsible manner, the SAR recommends: (1) establish a U.S.-Government wide definition of stabilization that is distinct from humanitarian assistance and longer-term development; (2) develop and evaluate political strategies based on evidence and rigorous analysis; (3) promote fairness, purposeful division of labor with national partners and international donors; (4) clarify agency roles and responsibilities to improve performance and reduce duplication; (5 improve the capacity of our civilian workforce to address stabilization needs in tandem with the U.S. military and partner forces; and (6) sequence and target our assistance to conflict-affected areas in a more measured fashion (2018). With the FY 22-26 Joint Strategic Plan Framework and the SAR recommendations, the U.S. Department of State and agencies involved with overseas stabilization must implement mechanisms to incorporate each agency and provide a common operating framework for all entities involved. Key components for reducing fragmentation, overlap and duplication in overseas stabilization efforts are— outcomes and accountability, clarity of roles and responsibilities and written guidance and agreements and lastly open lines of communication.

IA <1> Conclusion In today's technological era, an organization as large as the federal government must use any means necessary to analyze data to manage taxpayer dollars at the macro and micro level. Failure to use information systems and information technology to close intelligence gaps and capture performance efficiency and effectiveness could lead to national bankruptcy. The federal government and various agencies must continue to refine processes and procedures to reduce the amount of fragmentation, overlapping and duplication in policy and decision making. References https://cdn.ymaws.com/stability-operations.org/resource/resmgr/files/white-papers/ wp_stabilization_assistance_pdf

IA <1> https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-285sp.pdf https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-499 https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-State-USAID-FY-2022-2026-Joint- Strategic-Plan_29MAR2022.pdf

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DEFM 410 Assign IV-Prieto

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