FORT MONROE, Va. (Feb. 15, 2011) - The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's International Army Programs Directorate hosted the Functional Area Analysis of Building Partner Capacity workshop from Jan. 18 to 20 at the Bay Breeze Community Center here.
TRADOC Foreign Liaison Officers (FLOs) from 16 countries, security cooperation trainers, including representatives from the 162nd Infantry Brigade, functional area lead proponents for Functional Solution Analysis (FSA) and stability operations, Army Service Component Commands planners, and representatives from both Department of the Army and TRADOC Centers of Excellence attended the workshop. The participants assessed 13 major, required capabilities and validated associated tasks, conditions and standards.
The 2010 National Security Strategy and Quadrennial Defense Review makes it clear that the U.S. lacks resources to tackle global security challenges posed by threats in the future operating environment on its own. To address this imperative for a shared global security responsibility, TRADOC is developing a concept to improve how the Army builds partner capacity.
To support this concept development, TRADOC must complete a comprehensive analysis of building partner capacity. The process begins with the development of a Building Partnership Capabilities Based Assessment consistent with the Department of Defense's Joint Capability Integration Documentation System (JCIDS). A major outcome of the assessment is to identify required capabilities, then identify gaps which help inform resourcing decisions for individual and unit training that must be addressed for the Army to support building partnership missions.
This review will provide the baseline for revising and expanding the required capabilities and developing the Functional Area Analysis (FAA), which will document required capabilities and associated tasks, conditions and standards; the Functional Needs Analysis (FNA), which will document gaps between current and existing capabilities; and the FSA, which will document potential solutions to mitigate the gaps.
"We learned a lot from the FAA, in particular a few areas of concern that we weren't initially focused on," said Wayne Kropp, chief of Building Partnerships Division, IAPD.
One of the concerns addressed by members of the FLO group was the use of the term 'partnership' versus 'partner.' Col. Bertrand Darras, French FLO to TRADOC, said, "To be a partner, one must undertake shared risks and profits with another individual or group. Therefore, to build partner capacity one must have the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to develop a country's defense or security where as to build partnership capacity you are more or less building friendships with other countries."
Kropp, who acknowledged this concern, said, "We need to remember [that] it is not just about helping our allies, but about us being able to accept help from our partners, especially ones capable of exporting security."
The 13 required capabilities validated that the maturing Building Partner Capacity concept is headed in the right direction. Feedback from the attendees was positive and constructive.
Maj. Canale Parola, Italian FLO to TRADOC, saw value in the workshop. "I found the conference very interesting and informative. It was good to be a part of the process," he said.
Kropp summed up the experience as he said, "We were pleased with the amount of participation from all who attended."
Kropp and his team will use the outcomes from the conference to finalize the concept and begin preparing for the next step in the capabilities-based assessment which is a Functional Needs Analysis scheduled for April.
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