Military Affairs
 The Office of Military Affairs (OMA) is USAID's primary point of contact with the Department of Defense (DoD). Representing the spectrum of USAID functions, OMA provides the focal point for Agency interaction with US and foreign militaries in formalized relationships through coordinated planning, training, education, and exercises. Program areas of common interest include humanitarian assistance, terrorism prevention, strategic communications, conflict prevention and mitigation, counter-insurgency, post-conflict reconstruction and stabilization, and operational implementation.
OMA responds to the National Security Strategy's demand that development be a strong partner with diplomacy and defense in the achievement of national security.
OMA manages and facilitates USAID's day-to-day interface with DoD, implements USG policy in consultation with USAID's Military Policy Board, and coordinates joint planning, training, conferences, exercises, and communications.
A key feature of OMA's staffing is the exchange of senior military and development personnel. Under memoranda of understanding with five combatant commands--Special Operations (SOCOM), Europe (EUCOM), Central (CENTCOM), Pacific (PACOM), and Joint Forces Command (JFCOM)--senior USAID Development Advisors serve as advisors to the Commander, and DoD has provided corresponding Liaison Officers to USAID bureaus to provide day-to-day coordination and management.
OMA builds on DCHA's strong links with the military and its lead role in quick response to conflict, reconstruction, transition, famine, and disaster situations. OMA has links with USAID's regional and central bureaus to ensure that all of USAID's interface needs with DoD are coordinated and informed. OMA coordinates with the Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) on planning and implementation of activities under USG policy and strategy.
OMA operations are organized around three focus areas:
(1) Interagency planning and implementation: Manage the Agency's relationship with the Department of Defense, in accordance with the provisions of the National Security Strategy, addressing the links between defense and development. OMA is the focal point for USAID interaction with US and foreign militaries.
(2) Policy development. OMA produces policy documents that address the defense-development linkage, provides assistance with development of military doctrine as appropriate, and oversees the synchronization of USAID operational plans and programs with Geographic Combatant Command Theater Security Cooperation programs and other DoD planning instruments.
(3) Training and education: OMA produces training materials for use in joint training (e.g., conflict assessment frameworks, provincial reconstruction team (PRT) pre-deployment orientation, after-action reports, lessons learned) and coordinates USAID participation in civilian-military exercises.
USAID Military Coordination Update:
USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore recently approved a new USAID policy on Civilian-Military Cooperation. The Policy complements the concepts contained in National Security Presidential Directive-44 and DoD Directive 3000.05 on stability operations. This new policy establishes the foundation for USAID-DoD cooperation in planning and implementation. At the same time, it ensures that these new initiatives do not divert USAID from its core mission of sustainable development. Download a PDF version of the Policy here (3 mb).
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