How does a combatant command plan security cooperation?

SC planning requires an understanding of the operational and security environment in the theater and the role the USG expects the different PNs to play. If SC funds are being expended on a PN, SC planning is required. CCMDs and Security Cooperation Organizations (SCOs) must prioritize requirements identified for SC activities and investments. The CCMD SC planners must justify the prioritization of SC activities for the collective group of PNs in the area of responsibility (AOR). Some PNs may receive more SC assistance than others across the theater. The funding process is the more challenging aspect of long-term SC planning since most SC funding is short-term by statute.

Based upon the analysis of higher-level guidance, the CCMD develops a theater strategy. The theater strategy is a broad statement of how the CCMD intends to achieve planned goals and objectives and, thus, serves as a link between the national guidance documents and the CCMD Campaign Plan (CCP). Only after the CCMD has developed the broad operational approach, will the CCMD start detailed planning for the CCP.

Before detailed planning begins, planners should understand the resources available to the CCMD to support the implementation of the CCP. The CCMD campaign planning construct should provide a framework that allows commanders to identify and articulate resource requirements to execute the SC activities needed to implement the theater strategy. A thorough understanding of the types and quantities of resources available should inform, but not constrain, planning. Planners should develop a CCP that seeks to achieve the theater strategic end states and identify any discrepancies between current or projected resource availability and what is needed to implement the CCP. CCMDs should then communicate the need for additional resources and the risks associated with resource shortfalls through the appropriate venues.

Based upon SC goals and objectives, as outlined in SC planning guidance, Significant Security Cooperation Initiatives (SSCIs) are identified and generally led by the CCMDs. The SSCIs are coordinated with OSD Policy and Joint Staff and involve applying multiple security cooperation tools and programs. SSCIs may be overseen and managed by various DoW components and the DOS over multiple years to realize a country, or region, or functional objective such as maritime security or counterterrorism. An SSCI could even involve several interagency actors or other PNs. Often, a specific LOE in the country-specific SC section of a CCP articulates the SSCI.