Joint Interagency at the Combatant Commands: Making it Real; Making it Work

Current doctrine regarding Joint Military and Interagency cooperation is inadequate for effective and consistent results by the Regional Combatant Commanders. Vague or non-existent Joint and U.S. Government (USG) agency doctrine regarding planning and command and control structures has left seams and gaps in our ability to effectively carry out national policy. Steps that can be taken today for improvement at the operational level are the expansion, improvement and standardization of procedures and structure beyond the current JIACG construct. This useful organization needs to be fully leveraged with the proper staffing, resources and authority to significantly impact US National Interests. The US Military is the only governmental organization with the resources and command and control architecture to significantly effect National Policy. As the executers of the military portion of this arm of nation power, the Regional Combatant Commands must accept the role they are in. They require all the tools and skills of USG specialties and cannot afford to wait for significant USG interagency reforms.