C-IED Strategy Development Writing Session
The C-IED COE participated in the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) Counter-IED Strategy Development Writing Session in Nairobi, Kenya from 26-30 November 2018 in order to review USAFRICOMs Strategic Development Manual and to finalize the Strategy Development slides (the way-ahead). The Strategic Development Manual will be used as a guide for African partners to generate their own ideas and as it relates to their own objectives, and the group reviewed the Strategy Development slides. The slides were developed to help summarize the Strategic Development Manual, thus helping the African partners drive their own Strategic Development process. The group also conducted a one day session at Sahan Research receiving short briefings from the Kenyan National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), Sahan Research, the United Nations Mine Action Service, and from the United Nations Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group. The briefings focused on the NCTC structure and their prevention and awareness programs, and Sahan along with the United Nations discussed the IED Threat in Somalia, and a proposed Strategic Framework inside of Somalia. Their briefings were designed to better inform the group about organizational concerns with regards to the overall IED threat that is currently persisting in East Africa. Additionally, the C-IED COE with members from USAFRICOM, created a draft outline that can be used in the NATO Common C-IED Training Model for Partners with a focus on Strategic Plans and Policy Advisory (Item #4 in the CCTM) with special emphasis on advising on a Presidential Policy Decree and the advisement of a National C-IED Strategy/Policy for Partners. All of the briefings and work conducted by the group helped establish a framework for a tentatively scheduled Senior Leader Seminar and a three day C-IED Course that will be held at the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) in Kenya from 25 February to 1 March 2019.