The Air Force Security Cooperation Knowledgebase: A Critical Enabler Moves into the Future

In 2004, senior Air Force leaders directed the development of a software tracking tool that would allow users within the Air Force Security Cooperation Community, ranging from Action Officers and Attaches to senior leaders and decision makers, to quickly gain a complete overview of all Air Force Security Cooperation and Assistance efforts within a country, region, or even across combatant command (COCOM) lines of responsibility. The senior leaders recognized that there is simply so much information that pertains to security cooperation endeavors that it has been historically difficult, if not impossible, to gain a satisfactory picture of what is really occurring in an area of interest. Information such as security cooperation strategies, foreign military sales (FMS), officer exchanges, education and training programs, and Theater Support Cooperation Management Information System (TSCMIS) data are all examples of elements that are essential to security cooperation endeavors, but have not, until now, been readily accessible through a one-stop shopping informational portal. The Air Force leadership recognized the need for a single, easy to use tool that would serve as a repository to track all the Air Force's Security Cooperation and Assistance activities. The leadership put forth the challenge that this tool be able to quickly and accurately draw together seemingly disparate strands of data to provide both a context and a base of knowledge--critical enablers in the Air Force's efforts of providing security assistance to the nation's partners and allies.

In 2005, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs (SAF/IA) Long Range Planning Directorate (SAF/IAG) answered this challenge by establishing a Microsoft SharePoint based software portal that pulled together data relating to Air Force Security Cooperation efforts to present in a crisp, yet detailed, format. …

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