Hybrid Orgs for Hybrid Wars: The Story of AFRICOM's New Hybrid and Why Other CCDRs Should Want One, Too

摘要

When U.S. Africa Command was established in 2008, its manning and organizational structure looked very different from that of most other geographic combatant commands. USAFRICOM's key staff structure contained numerous interagency manpower positions, to include a State Department Ambassador as one of two Deputy Commanders. This was due to the advent of hybrid security challenges, for which the U.S. Government had found itself inadequately prepared. A host of alternative recommendations for how best to organize the government to handle such hybrid threats has arisen from the defense literature and war colleges. An evaluation of these various proposals falls into two categories: those which are outside the scope of the Department of Defense and those which fall within it. This paper examines the arguments and counterarguments for both sets of approaches and concludes by offering a recommendation for the model judged most feasible. The conclusion is that the USAFRICOM model, adjusted to include a reciprocal investment of liaison officers in select Washington-area government agencies, and creation of a Joint Task Force Deputy Commander position for Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction, provides the best course of action in terms of near-term fiscal and political constraints.