Interagency Process and America's Second Front in The Global War on Terrorism

The purpose of this paper is to present solutions on how to address terrorism, the most challenging threat to our national security, and recommend what can be done at the operational level to enhance interagency and coalition partner collaboration required to achieve success against this threat. First, I briefly discuss the nature of the terrorism threat. Second, I review the interagency process at the national level and describe the interagency coordination mechanisms that exist at the operational and tactical levels. Third, I demonstrate how theater engagement was and will continue to be critical to winning the GWOT. This paper also includes a case study reviewing the contextual factors and key turning points during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) Philippines, America's second front in the GWOT. "OEF Philippines presented military leaders in Pacific Command (PACOM) with the many challenges--some similar and some different than those experienced in OEF Afghanistan. Finally, I provide recommendations on how to develop an integrated strategy to combat terrorism. Recommendations include: continuing to conduct theater engagement in concert with the other instruments of power (IOPs), enhancing interagency collaboration at the operational and tactical levels, and continuing to support coalition partnering and information sharing.