text: Sustainment Operations During Competition Below Armed Conflict
  other types of operations. However, the political sensitivities and concern for host-nation legitimacy and
  minimum U.S. presence change the complexion of sustainment operations in foreign internal defense. As in
  security force assistance, sustainers are critical for developing well-established sustainment foundations. SOF
  play a critical role in executing foreign internal defense operations.
  3-13. In security cooperation, support considerations include support to U.S. forces and support to host-
  nation forces based on a variety of authorizations. Support to host or partner nations is primarily driven by
  already established ACSAs. If ACSAs are not in place, local State Department officials act as lead for
  determining what support can be granted to host nations.
  DEPARTMENT OF STATE
  3-14. The Department of State leads and provides oversight for security cooperation efforts through its
  bureaus, offices, and overseas missions. Security cooperation activities are conducted and coordinated
  throughout the AOR by, with, or through the ASCC to—
  • Build defense relationships that promote specific U.S. security interests.
  • Develop multinational and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational
  operations.
  • Provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to a host nation.
  3-15. The TSC supports all DOD operations during competition. Since the boundaries for Department of
  State are different from the boundaries of the CCDRs, the TSC (through the ASCC) may have to coordinate
  operations through each Embassy's Security Cooperation Organization or host-nation law enforcement
  representatives.
  SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIALS
  3-16. The senior defense official or defense attaché is the principal military advisor on defense and national
  security issues. The senior defense official is also the senior diplomatically accredited DOD military officer
  assigned to a U.S. diplomatic mission and the single point of contact for all DOD matters involving the
  embassy or DOD elements assigned to or working from the embassy. This individual acts as the in-country
  focal point for planning, coordinating, supporting, and/or executing U.S. defense issues and activities in the
  host nation, including theater security cooperation programs under the oversight of the CCDR. Army
  sustainers may be tasked to assist in establishing and maintaining sustainment foundations to enhance nation
  partnerships. For additional information regarding DOD operations at U.S. embassies, see DODD 5205.75.
  COMBINED TRAINING AND EXERCISES
  3-17. Army forces build partner combat readiness and set conditions for future contingencies through training
  and exercises. Combined exercises familiarize both forces with the capabilities and shortfalls of the other
  force and develop procedures to leverage capabilities and mitigate shortfalls. These serve to sustain and/or
  develop interoperability between nations as well as build partnership capacity.
  3-18. These exercises are extremely diverse in size, participation, duration, and sustainment requirements.
  The requirements may range from a few aircraft being sustained by HNS or OCS with minimal DOD
  sustainment, to large-scale training operations requiring a combination of HNS, OCS, and home-station
  sustainment activities. These exercises may be with one United States military agency and another country
  or with joint agencies and multiple nations. These events can generate very high support requirements.
  Sustainment commands are thoroughly embedded in the planning process to determine support requirements,
  specific responsibilities, and support procedures. While the volume of requirements for short-term
  multinational training events may not be burdensome, the events are complex and require careful planning
  and synchronization. The use of multinational exercises establishes theater gateways and access agreements
  for activities like cross-border movements and status of forces agreements.