Training
The Office of Military Affairs Training Team serves as a primary point of contact for Department of Defense (DoD)/USAID interagency and civilian-military training. The purpose of the Training Team is to provide relevant training that will enhance practical skill sets, promote civ-mil coordination and cooperation, and allow civilian and military personnel to successfully complete missions within their operating environments.
Within USAID, OMA is working to improve the Agency's capability to respond to crises by improving the ability of USAID officers to effectively participate in operations in unstable environments. This includes providing in-country training to USAID mission staff and military units either via direct instruction or distance learning, and working with other USAID offices to identify and adapt best practices that can be used in the unique conditions of unstable environments.
The Training Team's portfolio includes: Stability Operations/District Stability Framework (DSF) training; curriculum and database development; DSF instructor certification; coordination and execution of pre-deployment training for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) personnel; participation in DoD Exercise Development Conferences; and interagency and internal USAID briefings to promote a greater understanding of interagency civ-mil synchronization and cooperation in shared spaces.
Stability Operations Training
OMA provides stability operations training centered on the DSF. The DSF is a field-level tool used by civilian and military personnel to identify local sources of instability, devise programs to address the causes of instability, and measure the effectiveness of stability programming. DSF training is constantly under review and refinement, incorporating the most recent best practices and lessons learned from the field.
Currently, OMA is working in conjunction with other USAID offices and interagency partners to identify a database solution to assist with the development and evaluation of stabilization activities using the DSF. This unclassified database, envisioned as a shared tool for military units and civilian organizations, will promote a common interagency understanding of local stability dynamics, and will provide an essential mechanism for management and evaluation of DSF-related tasks and processes.
OMA's Training Team is responsible for maintaining a stability operations training cadre composed of expert instructors. These individuals conduct classroom training, support planning exercises, create training scenarios, and act as stability operations advisors, incorporating DSF and its principles into all aspects of their work. Implementing the rigorous selection and certification process for DSF instructors and stability operations advisors is a top priority for OMA. For a list of certified instructors or for more information on the DSF program please visit the DSF portion of this website.
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Training
OMA's Training Team is also responsible for coordination, stability operations curriculum development, and training for PRTs preparing for their pre-deployment to Afghanistan at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. A standard program of instruction has been developed by the Training Team and the 189th Infantry Brigade in which trainees participate in formal classroom instruction and practical exercises leading up to a Culminating Training Exercise (CTE). The CTE prepares civilian and military personnel deploying to Afghanistan through joint training and participation in realistic scenarios which simulate the conditions PRT members will face in theater. OMA also provides instruction at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) for those civilian agency field personnel who do not have the opportunity to attend the PRT training at Camp Atterbury.
USAID Internal Training
Newly-hired USAID Development Leadership Initiative employees (DLIs) currently receive training from OMA on topics such as OMA 101, DoD 101, Civ-Mil Operations and Planning, DoD Foreign Area Officers and DoD Funding. The DLIs also receive a DSF overview and participate in a round table discussion with OMA Senior Development Advisors working in the Combatant Commands (COCOMs). The importance of civ-mil cooperation is emphasized throughout the training, as many of these new personnel will be assigned to locations where collaboration with the military is both expected and crucial for success.
Civ-Mil/Interagency Briefings
OMA's Training Team has developed several briefings that help in an effort to explain the organization and key functions of USAID to DoD partners, as well as familiarize U.S. government civilians with military culture, structure, funding procedures, and other key information. One program OMA has developed for USAID civilians is the online training series "Working with the Military" which covers courses in Basic DoD Information (Mission, Structure and Function), Rank and Insignia and DoD Funding Basics. Other briefings offered by OMA include a USAID 101 brief for staff at the COCOMs and an Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) briefing that was developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute to familiarize civilians with OHDACA funding and guidance. All of these programs seek to promote more effective civ-mil relationships both on U.S. soil and in the field.
Partners
The OMA Training Team is actively working with:
USAID
- Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs (OAPA)
- Office of Transition Initiatives (DCHA/OTI)
- Office of Civilian Response (DCHA/OCR)
- Office of Program, Policy, And Management (DCHA/PPM)
- Human Resources - Training & Education
Military
- Marine Corps Training and Operations Group (MCTOG)
- Security Cooperation Education and Training Center (SCETC - U.S. Marine Corps)
- Joint Chiefs of Staff - J7
- 1st Army,189th Infantry Brigade (Training)
- 95th Civil Affairs Brigade
Interagency
- State Department Office for the Coordinator for Reconstruction & Stabilization (S/CRS)
- Foreign Service Institute (FSI)
Contact
For information on PRT training and/or Working with the Military on-line training contact Michael Carney at mcarney@usaid.gov or 202-712-4127.
For information on Stability Operations/DSF training or OMA DLI training contact Aubrey Eaton at aeaton@usaid.gov or 202-712-5407.
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