UNITED STATES AFRICA COMMAND INSTRUCTION J34 ACI 3200.11B References: See Enclosure B INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUP TRAVEL *Incorporates Change 1 1. Purpose. This instruction establishes command policy and mandates procedures pertaining to the accountability, control, and safe movement of individual and small groups of Department of Defense (DOD) personnel traveling into the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) area of responsibility (AOR). 2. Superseded. This instruction supersedes ACI 3200.11A, 4 September 2014. 3. Applicability. This instruction applies to Headquarters, USAFRICOM, Service Components, Joint Task Forces, and it s Sub-Unified Commands. It provides authoritative guidance for U.S. military members, DOD civilian employees, designated DOD contractors, non-dod personnel traveling under DOD sponsorship (except for members and employees of Congress) and United States Government interagency personnel assigned, attached, or detailed to USAFRICOM traveling on official orders within the USAFRICOM AOR and under the Commander, USAFRICOM s force protection responsibility. It also provides authoritative guidance for U.S. military members traveling on leave or pass. Permanent party Offices of Security Cooperation, Force Protection Detachments, Defense Attaché offices and other Department of State personnel for whom the Chief of Mission has security responsibility and listed on Annex A of the Memorandum of Agreement between Commander, USAFRICOM and the Chief of Mission are not subject to this ACI (reference (f)). DOD Civilians, DOD Dependents, and DOD contractors traveling for non-official purposes are strongly encouraged to abide by all travel prohibitions and advisories, including pre-travel briefings, Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) and safety warnings, buddy rules, reporting requirements, and other travel restrictions imposed by this ACI or the U.S. Embassy. This ACI constitutes a lawful general order for U.S. military members and violations are subject to punishment in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
4. Policy. a. This ACI establishes policy regarding travel to the USAFRICOM AOR by requiring explicit command review and approval of travel and traveler preparations in accordance with the Foreign Clearance Guide (FCG) and submitting an Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System (APACS) request. This policy also establishes a two-person travel policy on the continent except as authorized by the approval authority. Further, this policy mandates a country specific brief for travel to the USAFRICOM AOR and requires this be entered in the individual force protection plan. Finally, this ACI directs that compliance be indicated in the APACS travel submission in accordance with guidelines published in the FCG (reference (a)). b. APACS is the program of record that provides Commander, USAFRICOM, other Combatant Commanders, Service components, the Department of State, and U.S. Embassy access to pertinent information during periods of instability, or other incidents on the African continent. The information provided assists in evacuations, accountability, de-confliction, mission planning, and emergent medical issues for U.S. personnel, while ensuring a means for immediate contact and accountability of U.S. personnel if an incident occurs. (1) Command review and approval. Explicit review and approval of travel will be provided by the sending chain of command familiar with the traveler preparations to include the Force Protection Plan specific to the destination. The approval level is determined by the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) of the destination FPCON CHARLIE or DELTA requires O-7 level or civilian equivalent (SES) approval, FPCON BRAVO or ALPHA requires O-6 level or civilian equivalent (GS-15) approval. Specific USAFRICOM Travel Restrictions and/or Enhanced Force Protection messages may further define approval levels for travel within the USAFRICOM AOR. Contractor personnel will use senior corporate management for this review of travel and indicate that the approver is designated by the company to approve at that level of risk. (2) Two-person travel policy. No single DOD individual will be permitted to travel within the USAFRICOM AOR without at least one other U.S. Government (USG) employee. Individual DOD travelers may join up with other USG personnel already forward to meet this rule as long as the other person knows they are filling the role of the second person and understand the measures to take in an emergency, e.g., if the traveler becomes isolated. (a) Personnel in-transit throughout the USAFRICOM AOR must meet the two-person rule, unless they are joining up with personnel already in country or departing the USAFRICOM AOR. If they are traveling to another country within Africa personnel must adhere to the two-person rule, or have an approved waiver to the two-person travel policy. 2
(b) Personnel on leave must also meet the two-person rule. Family members or friends can satisfy this requirement in a similar fashion to the official traveler meeting someone in country. In both instances, the traveler s force protection plan should indicate who is fulfilling this second person role and that the party filling the role will be instructed on what to do in an emergency. (3) Waivers to the two-person travel policy. Waivers may be granted by the approver of the travel and documented in the approval statement entered in APACS. In the event of a waiver situation, the relevant force protection plan should include mitigations to compensate for travel alone which the approver can weigh prior to granting the waiver. (a) This travel policy ensures the appropriate level of command acknowledges and accepts the identified risk associated with the travel. The intent of this ACI is not to restrict travel, but rather to ensure active participation of supervisors and leaders developing risk mitigation factors and measures are taken to identify if personnel become isolated (via two-person rule or mitigations enabling waiver). Individual and small group travel plans shall be reviewed by unit leadership to ensure all travel to the USAFRICOM AOR is tailored to the destination, valid and consistent with AT/FP, force health protection, safety, mandated training and administrative requirements listed in the FCG (reference (b)) for the specific country(ies) to be visited. (b) In accordance with reference (a), Force Protection Conditions for the USAFRICOM AOR are reviewed annually, approved by the Commander, USAFRICOM, and the results are published in a USAFRICOM message and visible via the Joint Risk Assessment Management Program at https://jramp.smil.mil. (4) All travelers on official travel are required travel with approved devices associated with USAFRICOMs friendly forces tracking policy (reference e). (5) All travelers will receive a country specific force protection briefing prior to any official and military leave travel. Date of brief should be entered in the individual force protection plan which is maintained by the unit for one year after travel. (a) USAFRICOM personnel. Travelers will review/complete required briefs for all travel into USAFRICOMs AOR. Once complete, travelers will forward the time and date to the Security Mission Assurance Office Security Management, USAFRICOM, and annotate it in their individual Force Protection Plans. 3
1 *USAFRICOM personnel can review country AT/FP briefs developed by the U.S. Embassies Force Protection Detachment at www.africom.mil/staff-resources/travel-to-africa. 2 For countries without a current AT/FP brief USAFRICOM personnel can refer to the USAFRICOM J2 SIPRNET portal at http://j2.usafricom.smil.mil/. ACI 3200.11B (b) USAFRICOM Service Components. All USAFRICOM Service components are responsible for providing AT/FP and AOR briefs to their assigned Headquarters (HQ) personnel and once reviewed/completed have the date and time of completion annotated in their individual Force Protection Plans. (6) Use of APACS is directed for all DOD travelers to the USAFRICOM AOR (reference (a)). (7) For countries which have no legal protections for U.S. forces, or the existing agreements do not provide sufficient protection and U.S. forces are subject to host nation jurisdiction for conduct and incidents whether in an official or unofficial capacity, all personnel deploying to the continent should seek the advice of their legal offices and follow the guidance given in references (a) and (f). (8) *Travelers are encouraged to visit www.africom.mil/staffresources/travel-to-africa, review and comply with the Combatant Commander s Theater Entry Requirements for travel to Africa. 5. Responsibilities. Commanders and Directors are responsible for their assigned and attached personnel. Designated DOD contractors will use their contract chain of command or pertinent corporate regulation. Failure to comply with this ACI may result in delay of mission, travelers being denied theater clearance, or returned early for lack of compliance. Forward suggested improvements to HQ USAFRICOM, J34 USAFRICOM Theater Clearance Coordination Cell e-mail address; africom.stuttgart.acj3.mbx.theaterclearance@mail.smil.mil. a. USAFRICOM HQ Commandant s Office (J031) shall: (1) Monitor HQ USAFRICOM staff compliance with travel directives. (2) Develop procedures to support timely submission of travel requests to the Special Services VISA and Passport office (30-day lead time). 4
(3) Maintain records of all USAFRICOM personnel AOR briefs and documentation of personnel who submit APACS requests via the Visa and Passport Office. (4) In coordination with J2, validate, and maintain country specific threat briefings in the USAFRICOM AOR. b. USAFRICOM Protection Division (J34) shall: (1) Provide guidance, advice, assistance and oversight of Theater Clearance functions via APACS submissions for the USAFRICOM AOR. (2) Conduct quarterly audits of APACS submissions and Theater Clearance actions. Audit will be structured to include review of each Africa Service component and HQ assigned personnel. Provide written feedback for reference. c. USAFRICOM Intelligence and Knowledge Development Directorate (J2) shall: Maintain Country Foreign Protection (FP) briefs for USAFRICOM staff travelers. J2 will provide access to USAFRICOM HQ Commandants Office and USAFRICOM staff at USAFRICOM NIPRNET website at www.africom.mil/staffresources/travel-to-africa and the J2 SIPRNET website at http://j2.usafricom.smil.mil/. d. USAFRICOM Directorates, Supervisors, and travelers shall: (1) Ensure compliance of assigned personnel with USAFRICOM travel policies, including FP plan with annotation of buddy travel, AOR country brief and leadership review/approval of travel plans. (2) Comply with APACS submission policy (30 days prior to travel or justification and impact statement for short notice submissions). Verify APACS approval prior to travel. (3) Upload approved APACS request into DTS substantiating records (voucher) in accordance with reference (f). e. Service and Technical Components shall: (1) Ensure compliance of assigned personnel with USAFRICOM travel policies, including FP plan with annotation of buddy travel, AOR country brief and leadership review/approval of travel plans. (2) Monitor their Service force providers compliance with USAFRICOM travel policies, including FP plan with annotation of buddy travel, AOR country brief and leadership review/approval of travel plans. 5
6. Application. a. USAFRICOM Staff. Staff Directors have responsibility for the travel preparation of their staff. HQ USAFRICOM routing and approving officials for the DOD traveler will ensure that appropriate measures have been taken to identify and accept the risks associated with the travel. Approving officials shall include the below certification statement into the theater/country clearance APACS request (reference (a) and (d)) along with uploading the same statement into the substantiating records section of the Defense Travel System TDY request (reference (f)). An example of the certification statement is described in sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) below, as appropriate. An individual/small unit travel checklist has been added to the FCG pages, and may be used by USAFRICOM staff to aid in reviewing force protection for individual/small group travel plans. (1) For travel to FPCON CHARLIE/DELTA countries, an example of this statement would be: BG xxxxx has authorized and Colonel xxxxxx has reviewed and approved these travel plans. If the traveler will be traveling alone, the statement would also include and the individual is authorized to travel alone. The statement should include the position, organization, and contact information (preferably email) for the approver. (2) For travel to FPCON ALPHA/BRAVO countries, an example of this statement would be; Colonel xxxxx has reviewed and approved these travel plans. If the traveler will be traveling alone, the statement would also include and the individual is authorized to travel alone. The statement should include the position, organization, and contact information (preferably email) for the approver. b. USAFRICOM Component Personnel. USAFRICOM Service Component Commands, Combined and/or Joint Task Forces, and Sub-Unified commands may develop or use existing individual/small group travel controls if consistent with guidance contained in this ACI. Components must ensure O-6 or civilian equivalent approval for travel to FPCON ALPHA/BRAVO and GO/FO/SES approval for FPCON CHARLIE/DELTA countries. c. All Other DOD Travelers. For any non-service aligned DOD personnel who do not fall under direct control of either para 5.a or 5.b above, the same guidelines, published in the FCG (reference (a)) apply. Command guidance is for all DOD personnel to have the travel preparations to include force protection plan and training certifications reviewed and approved at the O-6 commander/director level for FPCON ALPHA/BRAVO, and GO/FO/SES approval for FPCON CHARLIE/DELTA countries. Single travel must be explicitly authorized with mitigations included in a force protection plan which the sending organization maintains for one year. 6
ACT 3200.11B 7. Summary of Changes. Changes added under section 4 policy: a. ACT Section 4 added the requirement for AT/ FP AOR briefs for all DOD travelers into USAFRICOM AOR, where they previously had been left to Service component requirements. b. Explicit responsibilities for HQ USAFRICOM staff were added in relationship to the Country and AOR briefs and for the maintenance of travel data to include FP Plans (HQ Commandant, J2, and J34 audit responsibilities). c. Explicit responsibilities for Service components were added (Country/AOR briefs, FP plans, monitoring Service component force provider traveler inputs). d. Web references to Joint Risk Assessment Management Program and africom.mil were added. e. Email address for USAFRICOM Theater Clearance was added. f. Added references associated with Status Protection Waivers, Personnel Recovery training, and friendly forces tracking requirements. 8. Releasability. UNCLASSIFIED RESTRICTED. This directive is not approved for electronic release on the NIPRNET; electronic release is restricted to USAFRICOM activities only through controlled access via the USAFRICOM network portal. Approval from the office of primary responsibility is required for further release of this directive in electronic format. 9. Effective Date. This instruction is effective upon signature. Enclosures: A. Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Terms B. References David M. ez ' General, U.S. Army Commander, U.S. Africa Command 7
1. ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ENCLOSURE A ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND TERMS ACI - Africa Command Instruction AOR -Area of Responsibility APACS - Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System AT/FP - Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection DOD - Department of Defense FCG - Foreign Clearance Guide FP - Foreign Protection FPCON - Force Protection Condition HQ - Headquarters U.S. - United States USG - United States Government 2. TERMS DOD Personnel. Includes all DOD Military Services, including active forces, reserve forces, and their civilian employees. Small Groups. Non unit level travel, usually on individual travel orders. May be from two to 50 or more personnel, depending on the type of mission or conference. U.S. Government. Includes any Executive, Judicial, or Legislative Branch employee and U.S. Citizen Contractors who provide direct services to the USG. Force Protection Conditions. A designation representing a degree of anti- USG terrorism present at any particular location or area. Rated from Normal to Delta, it aids a Commander in making force protection mitigations to an acceptable level of residual risk (reference (b)). A-1
a. DOD Foreign Clearance Guide ENCLOSURE B REFERENCES b. DODI 2000.16, DOD Antiterrorism (AT) Standards c. USAFRICOM Protection Operations Order 14-10, 31 October 2014 d. ACM 3000.02A, Theater Clearance Procedures within the USAFRICOM Area of Responsibility e. ACI 3200.15, Friendly Forces Tracking (FFT) Policy f. ACI 5800.08A, Status of Forces Policies and Information g. ACI 7300.01B, USAFRICOM Defense Travel System Policy h. Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of State and the Department of Defense, Security of DOD Elements and Personnel in Foreign Areas, 162100Z Dec 97 ( Universal MOU ) i. USAFRICOM Personnel Recovery Theater Admission and Training Requirements Message, 251335Z Mar 15 B-1