Advising at the Senior Level - Handbook (Lessons and Best Practices)

The purpose of this handbook is to provide senior advisors a convenient reference to enable them to work at the ministry, Service component, and tactical levels of a foreign security force (FSF). Increasingly, members of the U. S. Armed Forces and civilian personnel within the Department of Defense (DOD) are called upon to advise partner nation (PN) counterparts at all levels. The use of senior advisors in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in other PNs throughout the world has expanded significantly. In general, DOD civilian personnel receive sufficient training through the Ministry of Defense Advisors (MoDA) and other programs that prepare them to advise at the ministry and Service component levels of an FSF. Many members of the U. S. Armed Forces, however, do not receive that education and training, which puts them at a significant disadvantage when serving as senior advisors within the ministry or Service component level of an FSF.