Today in some defense circles, one's mastery of jointness isn't enough for success. The currently en vogue "whole-of-government" approach requires senior military officers to maneuver (or plod) their way through the IA environment. Former SECDEF Rumsfeld once remarked that the interagency process can "suck the life out of you." For those sea service folks lucky enough to find themselves working in an interagency environment, the GAO provides some insight.
"This testimony highlights opportunities to strengthen interagency collaboration by focusing on four key areas: (1) developing overarching strategies, (2) creating collaborative organizations, (3) developing a well-trained work force, and (4) improving information sharing. It is based on GAO's body of work on interagency collaboration."
Having a bit of experience in this lane myself, I offer the following IA Truths:
1. The degree of success usually realized in IA coordination is directly proportionate to the distance from the Beltway.
2. Consensus building is overrated. Successful interagency coordination requires a lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way approach.
3. Personalities trump bureaucracies and formal chains of command. If your initiative isn't progressing due to a certain personality, go around, over, or through them.
4. When an agency rep asks "why is DoD doing that?" it really means -- stay off our turf because you are embarrassing my agency, even though we aren't competent or willing to do what we were chartered/authorized/funded to do.
5. Never forget that DoD is always the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Always.
Feel free to add your own.
The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Defense or any of its agencies.
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