Case Study: U.S. Army Security Cooperation Program

Challenge: Finding the Right Resources & Skills

Security Cooperation is an important part of United States foreign affairs and defense operations – especially in an era of a constantly shifting international landscape and significant uprisings around the globe. It is founded on a tradition of collaboration between the U.S. and other sovereign nations sharing common interests and defense goals. Successful cooperation requires the efficient execution and management of a group of programs authorized by the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act and related statutes. These programs – which include foreign military sales, foreign military financing, leases and loans – enable the Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial contractors to provide goods and services that help meet national policies and objectives.

Not surprisingly, the Security Cooperation programs present a number of challenges. For instance, there is a heavy administrative workload to meet all process requirements, including coordination across multiple Army agencies and Federal departments. Strategically, balancing the priorities of the U.S. Army with those of the security cooperation program itself, as well as those of friendly foreign governments, is always a delicate matter. More practically, with multiple conflicts underway, the U.S. Army was often resource-constrained in administering the vital Security Cooperation programs, with a particular need for expanded support in several key regions around the world.

Solution: Building the Right Resource Base

The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Export and Cooperation (DASA DEC) called on Infinitive Federal to help the fulfill its mission relative to Security Cooperation and develop the right resource base for success. Specifically, DASA DEC sought active assistance to increase and enhance its level of manpower and Security Cooperation expertise in key regions, including Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Infinitive Federal’s foreign military sales and security assistance experts engaged directly with the prime contractor, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), to assess the full range of resource needs, requirements, qualifications and skill sets to round out the DASA DEC team.

Then, leveraging considerable experience in foreign military sales, Infinitive Federal consultants established a comprehensive but efficient recruitment, vetting and hiring process for candidates. After careful evaluation, a number of selected analysts have been embedded in the daily operations of DASA DEC and serve as advisors to the Directorate head.

Results: Improved Coverage & Cooperation

DASA DEC experienced an immediate gain in manpower and processing capabilities, which resulted in improved regional security cooperation coverage and increased ability to meet tight administrative timelines.

The addition of two Infinitive Federal analysts to the DASA DEC team has expedited the processing of foreign military sales cases, foreign disclosures and technology transfers.  The successful assimilation of the Infinitive Federal analysts into the operations of DASA DEC has bridged the manpower and expertise gap in critical Security Cooperation programs. The U.S. Army now has in place senior managers and recognized authorities on all facets of program execution and the capacity to enhance the overall effectiveness of these critical programs.

Today, each regional desk is able to track requests by country and type (e.g., requests for information, meetings, pricing and availability, formal offers or release of items). Further, there is improved visibility into requests for special request items and sensitive devices, third-party transfers (involving the Department of State, for instance) and requests for defense articles requiring diversion from Army stock. Documentation has also greatly improved, which enables clearer oversight of and easier access to Exceptions to National Disclosure Policy (ENDP) requests and decisions, Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) approvals, Congressional Notifications, executive summaries and country background papers.

With a stronger team in place, coordination and interaction across many DOD departments and government agencies, the Offices of Defense Cooperation within U.S. Embassies in allied nations, and the other service branches has been streamlined and standardized.