The mission of the United States’ Defense Attaché Office (USDAO) in Addis Ababa is to represent the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commander of U.S. Africa Command in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. To accomplish this mission, its personnel advise the U.S. Ambassador on military matters, implement a variety of bi-lateral military engagement programs, and report political-military developments in a timely and thorough manner.
The U.S. Defense Attaché, an Army Colonel, leads USDAO Addis Ababa and serves as the U.S. Ambassador’s principal military advisor. He is aided in this role by an Air Force Attaché, an Assistant Army Attaché, and an Assistant Defense Attaché. An Operations Coordinator and an Operations Non-Commissioned Officer manages the daily administration and logistics of the DAO.
Office of Security Cooperation (OSC)
General Information
The mission of the OSC is to enhance the long-term bilateral defense relationship between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the United States. We accomplish this by managing several programs under the Security Assistance umbrella. These include:
- International Military Education and Training (IMET)
- Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
- The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
Additionally OSC advocates for various Military to Military (Mil to Mil) training engagements that focus on enhancing Ethiopia’s capacity in the areas of:
- Peacekeeping operations
- Defense Institute for International Legal Studies (DIILS)
- Military Medicine
The OSC Chief is a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and is responsible for U.S. military engagement activities in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. These activities are primarily focused on aiding Ethiopia’s involvement in regional counter-terrorism and peacekeeping operations in support of the United Nation’s Mission as well as the African Union’s Mission in Somalia. The OSC Chief serves as the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) Strategic Plans and Policy representative for cooperative security assistance to the Senior Defense Official and the Country Team.
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