ISG Returns to In-Person Events - Defense Security Cooperation University

Since the global emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in early 2020, the Institute for Security Governance has had to adapt and even reconceive how it carries out its mission.  

To maintain the momentum of institutional capacity building (ICB) during the pandemic, ISG found creative ways to continue ICB Advising missions​, adjusting approaches and building on virtual innovations to develop hybrid models for advising post-pandemic​​. ISG also used the pause in instruction to focus on re-developing and expanding core residential courses, as well as transitioning both resident education courses and mobile education to various virtual environments.

Now, as pandemic-related restrictions are slowly easing, and both ISG and Partner stakeholders are being vaccinated, ISG in-person events have begun to take place once more.

State Partnership Program (SPP) 

ISG conducted a three-day State Partnership Program workshop for the Wisconsin National Guard (WING) and the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces (PNGDF) in Madison, WI in late May. The workshop provided an opportunity for the WING to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and sociopolitical context of the PNGDF and to establish a framework for working with Papua New Guinea, setting the stage for a review and discussion of potential areas of cooperation between state and country.

Advising 

In early June, ISG conducted a two-week, non-resident Advising Engagement in Amman, Jordan with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) Joint Staff and the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF). This Advising Engagement was part of an ICB program focused on developing Jordan’s ability to identify, validate, and manage force structure and operational capability requirements. It enabled the ISG-Jordan Team to renew in-person collaborations and initiate relationships with leaders who assumed key roles since ISG's last in-country engagement in March 2020. The Team also gained valuable insights into JAF and RJAF priorities that will facilitate ISG strategic planning efforts for FY 22 and 23.

Senior Leader Visit

In late June, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Director Heidi Grant visited ISG HQ in Monterey, CA. Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) Acting President David Sobyra, DSCA Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director CMSgt Daniel Simpson, and DSCA Senior Military Assistant to the Director Col Malcolm Pharr accompanied Director Grant. The trip marked Director Grant’s first visit to ISG’s campus since her appointment in August 2020. Over the course of three days, Director Grant’s delegation toured ISG facilities; met with senior leaders to discuss the ISG mission, Institutional Capacity Building, and full-spectrum Security Cooperation; and held a Town Hall with ISG’s faculty and staff.

Education 

ISG launched a four-week resident education course in Monterey, CA on Strategies & Capabilities for Cyber Challenges in early July. Led by ISG's world-class faculty, the course focused on building capabilities for government responses to cyber challenges. With cybersecurity increasingly becoming a top national security concern for countries around the globe, education in cyber challenges has become essential to ICB efforts. To that end, participants hailing from twenty-three countries including Colombia, Cyprus, Egypt, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the United States were in attendance. To learn more about building Partner capacity in cybersecurity, see the ICB Smart Sheet that ISG released earlier this year on Building Capable Cybersecurity Institutions. 

As ISG advances into the burgeoning post-pandemic era, the pace of in-person events will accelerate, supplemented by hybrid models where appropriate.