Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 84
defined the pre- and post-transition support requirements. USARAF captured and published the roles and
responsibilities in the final JFC operation order before
the mission transition. These roles include managing
the joint integration needed to acquire allocated forces
and lift capability. The doctrinal gap has since been filled
by Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 3-93, Theater
Army Operations.10
Lessons Learned and
Recommendations
Our observations during OUA can inform DOD
and its interagency partners as we prepare for future
expeditionary humanitarian assistance operations.
These lessons include the following:
Doctrine and training for humanitarian assistance operations continue to lag. There is a need
to develop an interagency “playbook” that guides a
whole-of-government approach. This should codify
duties and responsibilities of U.S. agency partners for
humanitarian assistance operations such as responding
to epidemics. The Department of State and DOD must
cooperate to conduct planning and exercises focused on
a U.S. response to likely future epidemic scenarios.
To support exercises and actual mission execution, the Army must develop a common operating picture shareable with U.S. agency partners and
external partners such as the United Nations and
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NGOs. USAID’s mission tasking matrix must be
focused at the JFC level. The JFC was able to adjust to
the mission-tasking process, when needed, during the
operation. However, approval for projects in a rapidly
changing environment should not be at secretary level.
The ASCC, with or without assigned forces, plays
a key role in enabling full-spectrum U.S. humanitarian
assistance response exercises. However, DOD is not the
lead agency in humanitarian assistance missions. Joint
forces need to exercise this type of scenario together
with government partners and with agencies such as
USAID in the lead.
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Conclusion
Operation United Assistance demonstrated the invaluable role an ASCC plays in opening and setting the
theater. ASCCs possess inherent expeditionary sustainment and C2 experience at the theater level, providing operational agility and the expertise to tap into
resources across the unified action community. Speed
was imperative to counter the Ebola disease, and only
USARAF had the relationships, skill sets, and capacity
already integrated to meet the initial requirements. The
Army must continue to maintain these expeditionary
capabilities in support of the joint force. Finally, the
strength and resiliency of the Liberian people inspire
us. Their spirit is the true cause behind the continued
success in the fight against Ebola.
Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, U.S. Army, was the first commander of Joint Fo