Applying systems engineering to interagency coordination in support of combatant commands

Abstract

This research addresses interagency coordination from an architectural perspective utilizing a systems engineering process. Interagency coordination is not fully understood and has proven difficult for various U.S. government agencies to replicate. Two examples of successful interagency coordination are used in this analysis: the Joint Interagancy Task Force-South (JIATF-South) and Special Operations Forces (SOF) high-value target teams. These organizations are decomposed into their top-level functions and organized by their major physical components. These results are applied in the creation of a notional top-level functional and physical architecture for the U.S. European Command's new Joint Interagency Counter-Trafficking Center (JICTC).