Africa—Trans-Sahara Security Symposium (TSS)

The U.S. Africa Command’s Operation Enduring Freedom—Trans-Sahara and DAI conducted this innovative civil-military operations/relations (CMO/R) education program to support the interagency Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP). This multiyear U.S. Department of Defense training series supported the U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of State’s joint effort to build civil-military capacity and enhance regional security and cooperation.

Our program conducted eight to 10 CMO/R training events per year to foster continuous learning for key civil-military leaders from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. The TSS three-tiered curriculum gave participants a platform for progressive learning as well as continuous key leader-engagement opportunities.

Sample Activities

• Coordinate between military and civilian authorities in countering irregular threats such as transnational criminal groups and transnational terrorist activity.
• Inform and advise their organizations on security sector stakeholders, roles, and best practices.
• Build capacity of interagency and regional partnerships to counter extremist elements’ ability to exploit crises.
• Identify actionable early warning mechanisms and conflict triggers.

Select Results

• Increased the capacity of North and West African partner nations to use enhanced CMO/R to counter threats to human, national, regional, and international security.
• Annual country-specific training in each partner country highlighted how 21st century irregular threats affect national stability.
• Semiannual training brought together select TSS graduates of country-specific training from the eight participating nations to discuss regional irregular threats, emphasizing collaborative responses to security challenges.
• The Senior Leader Symposium brought together outstanding alumni each year to engage regional organizations and partners in collaborative efforts to address regional security challenges.