Featured Article: Achieving Civil-Military Unity of Effort…

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Achieving Civil-Military Unity of Effort: Jordan Case Study
by William J. Hackenbracht

Following a joint planning session comprised of representatives from Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Jordan Mission, the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan approved the integration of a four-man Civil Military Support Element (CMSE) into the U.S. Embassy in Jordan. CMSE-Jordan would be an extension of the Civil-Military Engagement (CME) program, a U.S. Special Operations Command program of record that “facilitates the U.S interagency, host nation indigenous interagency authorities, select intergovernmental and nongovernmental partners, and the private sector to build, replace, repair, and sustain civil capabilities and capacities that eliminate, reduce, or mitigate civil vulnerabilities to local and regional populations.” The intent of the CME program is “to eliminate the underlying conditions and core motivations for local and regional population support to violent extremist organizations and their networks.”

Upon their arrival in Amman, Jordan, in late March 2012, CMSE-Jordan team members immediately began coordinating with U.S. country team members to identify civil vulnerabilities in critical areas that were outside the scope of current U.S. interagency programs and activities. CMSE-Jordan, at the recommendation of USAID and other country-team members, began developing a close working relationship with the Regional Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord) from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). As a result of these initial coordination meetings, PRM requested CMSE-Jordan begin planning how to mobilize resources to mitigate potential gaps in the U.S. interagency, international, and Jordanian assistance to Syrian refugees…

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Captain William J. Hackenbracht is a U.S. Army Civil Affairs officer, currently assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) and serving as the Special Operations Civil Affairs Planner in Jordan. This paper is based on his experience serving as the Civil Affairs Team Leader for initial Civil Military Support Element Jordan from March until October, 2012.