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Command Surgeon / J004 Col Murphy, 314-421-4019

Approved by: COL Taylor 9 Oct 2019

INFORMATION PAPER

(U) INFECTIOUS DISEASE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP (IDESPW)

1. SUMMARY. The AFRICOM Office of the Command Surgeon (J004) hosted the IDESPW 4-6 Sep 19. The
group concluded that U.S. government (USG) agencies should work primarily by, with and through the entities
charged with implementing the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), especially the African Union (AU), the
Africa CDC, their regional coordinating centers (RCCs), and the regional economic communities. The group also
agreed on a regional approach for capability/capacity building efforts, rather than multiple, bi-lateral engagements.
Finally, regular USG inter-agency collaboration is necessary to ensure success.

2. SIGNIFICANT ISSUES / IMPORTANT POINTS.

a. The objectives of the conference were to establish a shared understanding and begin to synchronize
capability/capacity building efforts among the USG interagency, as well as to assist AFRICOM in refining our
operational approach/sub-campaign for intermediate objective (IO) 2.8 “Infectious Disease Control.”

b. The GHSA provides a widely accepted, international framework for all agencies’ capability/capacity
building efforts. The group agreed that the GHSA Action Packages should be the foundation for the “effects” of IO
2.8.

c. Progress toward the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “benchmarks” for the International Health
Regulations (IHR) should serve as the milestones and measures of effectiveness for the IO 2.8 sub-campaign.

d. In many African countries, military hospitals or clinics care for civilians. In some countries, civilians
prefer care from military facilities. Similarly, militaries often have the best laboratories in their nations. So,
building the military health care and public health systems often equates to building the national systems.

e. The majority of the countries that send delegates to AFRICOM’s African Partners Outbreak Response
Alliance (APORA) key leader events are GHSA members, and have either completed or are working on their
national action plans (NAPs). The Ministry of Defense (MoD) representatives who attend APORA, however,
indicate the African militaries are largely omitted from their countries’ NAPs, as well as the evaluations on which
the NAPs are based. APORA has endeavored to link MoDs with their Ministries of Health, but much work remains
to be done to connect and build all the essential government sectors, including Ministries of Agriculture/Livestock
and Ministries of Transportation.

3. DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND.

a. (FOUO) The strategic documents informing IO 2.8 include the 2019 USG Global Health Security Strategy,
the 2018 National Biodefense Strategy, National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) 14 for the Support for
National Biodefense, USNORTHCOM’s Contingency Plan 3551-14 “Global Campaign Plan for Pandemic Influenza
and Infectious Disease,” and AFRICOM’s supporting plan to CONPLAN 3551-14.

b. (FOUO) AFRICOM fulfills several roles regarding infectious disease—one direct and several supporting.
First, AFRICOM strives to build the force health protection and health service capability/capacity of African
partner militaries. Then, AFRICOM directly supports the development and diplomacy efforts in its AOR.
Furthermore, AFRICOM is also required to support NORTHCOM’s CONPLAN. IO 2.8 “Infectious Disease
Control” is intended to meet these various requirements.

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4. WAY AHEAD. The J004 will create an All Partners Access Network (APAN) page to make the meeting
materials available to the attendees, and enable further collaboration. AFRICOM will refine our infectious disease
control operational approach/sub-campaign over the next several months and seek to host an annual inter-agency
IDESPW. J004 has already established a relationship with the AU Peace and Security Office (PSO) surgeon, and is
assisting with her effort to develop a health support manual for AU peace support operations. The manual includes
force health protection standards, processes and procedures. J004 intends to continue periodic engagements with
the AU PSO. Finally, we will also adjust APORA to emphasize the regional focus and strengthen the role of the
AU and Africa CDC.

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