Fostering strategic leadership and interagency coordination across the Afghan security sector

  • 10 Jul. 2017 - 13 Jul. 2017
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  • Last updated: 11 Sep. 2017 10:56

This summer marked the successful conclusion of an important venture launched with Afghanistan in 2010. Its aim was to advance a strategic culture of interagency coordination and cooperation across the security sector. Over the years, more than 100 senior and mid-level Afghan academics and leaders have participated in related workshops and courses.

From 10 to 13 July 2017, a course on interagency coordination (ASIC) took place at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. It was held under the auspices of the NATO-Afghanistan Enduring Partnership and in the framework of the NATO Defence Education and Enhancement Programme (DEEP) for Afghanistan.

Participants included three senior Afghan professors from the Marshal Fahim National Defence University (MFNDU) and eight officials from key Afghan ministries including Foreign Affairs (MFA), Defence (MOD), Interior (MOI) and Finance, as well as from public agencies such as the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Intelligence Service.  

The course marks the conclusion of two important lines of effort: the Afghan Executive Senior Leader Seminar (ESLS) series launched in 2010 and the Afghan Seminar on Interagency Coordination series in 2014.  The ESLS aimed to instil a baseline strategic culture within the senior leadership of the MOD and the Afghan National Army (ANA), while the complementary ASIC aimed to advance support of a strategic culture of interagency coordination and cooperation across the Afghan security sector. A guiding principle was to ensure that these programmes were designed and conducted in a contemporary Afghan context. 

“I have, via this seminar, grasped the value of the interagency mentality and wish to join hands with you [MFNDU] to move forward in this regard,” said Najibullah Safi, Deputy for Security Cooperation at the Afghan MFA.

These efforts have now culminated in the proven capacity of the MFNDU to design and execute such courses in Afghanistan and by Afghan academics. Arriving at this point required senior strategic leader involvement, strategic patience and a long-term effort.

Co-ownership of the course was shared by the United States and NATO’s Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, represented respectively by Harry Tomlin, Professor of Strategic Art Programme at the United States Army War College, and Frédérique Jacquemin, Senior Programme Manager, DEEP.

“A culture of cooperation needs to be created and this takes time. The success that really matters will be measured by how the experience and investment of these activities are adopted and adapted in the Afghan national security context,” explained Frédérique Jacquemin.

Overall, more than 100 senior and mid-level Afghan academics and leaders have experienced ESLS and ASIC seminars and workshops. They have been enriched by the participation of delegates representing the MOD, MFA, MOI, Ministry of Finance, ANA, ANP, National Security Council, National Directorate of Security, the Afghan Embassy in Brussels, and NATO nation academics and staff.

“The MFNDU academics and the student delegates shared an enhanced appreciation for inter-ministerial coordination and cooperation and the personal desire to advance this national security imperative within their own duties and organisations,” said Professor Tomlin.

DEEPs are tailored programmes through which the Alliance advises partners on how to build, develop and reform educational institutions in the security, defence and military domain. Projects are currently running in 12 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1, Tunisia and Ukraine. They focus in particular on faculty building and curriculum development, covering areas such as teaching methodology, leadership and operational planning.

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