Offices & Departments
Office of Defense Cooperation
The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) is a four-person team headed by an American military officer. ODC manages all traditional and non-traditional security assistance activities in Senegal as well as coordinating host nation support, conducting joint planning, and acting as liaison for other defense matters of mutual concern.
International Military Education and Training (IMET) is the centerpiece of the US security assistance effort in Senegal. The IMET program provides military education and training to Senegalese military and civilian personnel in order to…
- Encourage effective and mutually beneficial relations and increased understanding between the United States and Senegal in furtherance of the goals of international peace and security;
- Improve the ability of Senegal to utilize its resources, including defense articles and defense services obtained by them from the United States, with maximum effectiveness, thereby contributing to greater self-reliance; and
- Increase the awareness of Senegalese participating in such activities of basic issues involving internationally recognized human rights.
Since 1965, more than 1000 Senegalese military officers have trained in the US. Ours is one of the most robust IMET programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Military Training Exercises have become an important part of the security assistance program. Many different types of exercises each year take place under the auspices of the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI), West African Training Cruise (WATC) and the Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) programs.
- ACRI is a US Department of State program, managed by the ODC, to train and equip Senegalese military forces for peacekeeping duties on the African continent. Senegal is the first African nation to have completed the ACRI program and is now undergoing sustainment training.
- WATC is a multinational naval exercise designed to focus on the enhancement of naval operations, training and maintenance for qualifying West African nations.
- JCETs, are bilateral exercises that involve joint training between small Special Operations Forces teams and units of the Senegalese Armed Forces. The purpose of the exercises are to train with foreign militaries, provide quality training focused on individual soldier skills and small unit tactics.
Military Equipment Sales and Grants: The ODC manages the sale and transfer of military equipment to the Senegalese Armed Forces. This is done through foreign military sales, foreign military grants and excess defense article grants. Additionally, the ODC acts as a link between members of the Defense industry and the Senegalese Armed Forces in order to facilitate direct commercial sales.
The ODC also manages the Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) for the United States European Command in Senegal. This program is an important means of targeting DOD resources for construction projects such as medical clinics, wells, bridges, schools and canals. Additionally, the program also provides humanitarian assistance supplies to organizations in Senegal. These supplies include, but are not limited to school, medical, disaster assistance and disaster prevention supplies. Its aim is to supplement or complement the efforts of Senegalese civil authorities or agencies to relieve or reduce the results of natural or man-made disasters.
