Description: General program to establish and strengthen professional (and personal) relationships among allied and friendly countries designed to encourage a democratic orientation of defense establishments and military forces of other countries
Key Considerations:
In general, authorized by 10 USC 168, Military-to-Military Contacts and Comparable Activities, for SecDef to provide funds to a GCC, an officer designated by the chairman of the Joint Staff with respect to areas not within the GCC, or the head of any DoD component to conduct mil-to-mil contact activities.
Authorized activities and expenses to be funded include:
Military-to-military contacts are defined to mean “contacts between members of the armed forces and members of foreign armed forces through activities” previously described.
10 U.S.C. 168, itself, is used as a general authorization for mil-to-mil activities without specific funding. The following authorities, categorized as “Contact Programs,” provide additional authorities to Section 168 and have been funded with DoD (or MilDep) O&M.
List of Programs:
Combatant Commander Initiative Fund (CCIF)
Payment of Expenses to attend Bilateral or Regional Conferences
Description: DoD funding of GCC SC program proposals to SecDef
Purpose: Provide DoD funding to approved generally emergent GCC program proposals
Authorization: 10 U.S.C. 166a
Appropriation: FY2013 -- $30,000,000 in DoD O&M appropriated by Title II, DoD Appropriations Act, FY2013, Div. C, P.L.113-6, 26 March 2013.
Guidance:
The annual codified authority to be funded is $25,000,000 but recent appropriations have been at higher levels
Approved by SecDef to be managed by the Joint Staff IAW CJCSI 7401.01F, CCIF, 30 Nov 12 (No-Rel)
Countries Eligible: Those nominated by GCC to be approved by the SecDef
Value of Program: Restrictions: As this is for worldwide use, the funding of significant programs is somewhat limited
Key Players: Country team (SCO), GCC, Joint Staff
Execution:
The SCO identifies a last minute funding deficiency for the partner country to participate in an exercise (or operations) planning conference to be conducted at the GCC headquarters
The GCC determines the partner nation presence at the conference is essential and nominates the use of CCIF funding.
The Joint Staff concurs and provides the funding to the GCC for country use by the SCO
Example: Types of activities authorized for the use of CCIF includes:
Training of partner nation military personnel – with the expiration of ISFF funding on 1 Oct 12, $1.7M of CCIF authority was used by USCENTCOM to continue U.S. training of Iraqi security forces for first 90 days in FY2013.
Payment of Expenses to attend Bilateral or Regional Conferences
Description: DoD funding of developing country attendance at GCC conferences
Purpose: Authorize the use of DoD funding for country(s) participation at bilateral or multilateral regional GCC conferences
Authorization: 10 U.S.C. 1051
Appropriation: DoD O&M
Guidance:
CJCSM 3500.03C, Joint Training Manual for the Armed Forces of the United States, Appendix D, Enclosure M, 15 Jan 2011
Countries must not be subject to USG sanctions or other policy restrictions
Generally for use to attend GCC-sponsored conferences or meetings
Countries Eligible: As recommended to SecDef by the GCC to be in the U.S. national interest to fund
Value of Program: Restrictions: Key Players: Country team (SCO), GCC, SecDef/USDP/DSCA, OGC at each level is to review the request
Execution:
The SCO notifies the partner nation of an invitation to attend a GCC-sponsored regional conference at the GCC and the country informs the SCO that the country cannot afford to attend
The SCO recommends to the GCC that DoD funds the partner nation participation at the regional conference
The GCC recommends to USDP (DSCA) that it is in the U.S. national interest for the partner nation to be DoD-funded for their attendance
The GCC provides the funding to the SCO for use by the partner nation
Example: DoD funds the travel and personal expenses for a developing nation’s participation at a GCC conference, workshop, symposia, meetings and other information exchanges
