Training
Charged with delivering the core purpose of the Office of Military Affairs (OMA), the training division sets the standard and ensures that civilian and military personnel participating in civilian -military operations receive the training they need to operate effectively and deliver the greatest impact. The goal is to give those challenged to operate in unstable environments the tools they need to address the causes of instability and work in cooperation with the military. Currently, OMA training targets the Iraq and Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). However, the goal is to eventually provide training to every country with an interagency mission.
Training is conceptualized in four parts: an evaluation to define the problem; collecting data to identify the cause; analyzing that data to define the objective; and designing a program to meet that objective.
At the core of effectively addressing conflict is defining stabilization. The training division places great emphasis on the first step of the process and challenges trainees to expand and think beyond their own organization in order to further dialogue and understanding in interagency cooperation.
The training division has designed a tool, the Tactical Conflict Assessment Framework (TCAF), to help individuals address the causes of instability. But for TCAF to be effective, OMA must first train individuals to use this tool within the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). The TCAF provides the US military with a practical tool for identifying the root causes of conflict in a particular area. It also gives guidance on adjusting programming in order to more effectively address those causes. The TCAF contains diagnostic questions targeting local populations' potential incentives for violence. It has detailed directions for military personnel on how to collect answers to these questions, it provides illustrative project examples and information on funding sources for potential follow-on interventions, and it acts as a cultural awareness guide. The TCAF has been embraced by the military as it can be found in field manuals and will soon be on the DoD website.
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