The ABCA Armies' Program
What is it'
The American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand (ABCA) Armies' Program is the premier interoperability forum with our closest allies in current and future operations. The Program seeks to ensure the fullest cooperation and collaboration among its members; to achieve the highest possible degree of interoperability through materiel and non-materiel standardization; and to obtain the greatest possible economy by the use of combined resources and effort.
What has the Army done'
The Army annually conducts analysis to determine where critical interoperability gaps exist during coalition operations with the ABCA partners. Once identified, the ABCA Program establishes teams to develop products that fix or mitigate those gaps. For example, one team biennially publishes the Coalition Operations Handbook, which provides guidance to commanders and staffs of organizations operating in a coalition environment. Another team extended the TRANSCOM Regulating and Command and Control Evacuation System (TRAC2ES) to the ABCA partners for casualty tracking-a need identified during coalition operations in Iraq.
Why is it important to the Army'
The demands of the current and future environments will frequently require the U.S. Army to conduct operations within a coalition. The ABCA Program assembles subject matter experts to explore coalition interoperability problems in the current fight and those of the future. Doing this enables the U.S. military to leverage the capabilities and resources of these partner Armies and reduce the load on the U.S. Army and its Soldiers. The Program also produces mutual understanding that enables ABCA nations to effectively cooperate in military operations across the spectrum of conflict.
What's the way ahead'
During the Annual Meeting in March 2010, the ABCA Armies' Program will develop tasks for the next year. Continuing the 2009 focus, emphasis will be on gaps identified in Security Sector Reform and Security Force Assistance operations though tasks to address gaps from across Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel and Facilities (DOTMLPF) will be considered.
Resources:
For more information on the ABCA Armies' Program or access to interoperability products please visit <a href="http://www.abca-armies.org" target="_blank"> ABCA Program Web site</a>
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