ISG-IDARM Team Completes Fourth Iteration of 'Principles of Defense Acquisition and Contract Management' Resident Course - Defense Security Cooperation University

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) International Defense Acquisition Resource Management (IDARM) program completed its fourth iteration of “Principles of Defense Acquisition and Contract Management” during 17-28 June, 2019 at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. The regionally tailored resident course is taught with Spanish and English simultaneous interpretation. “We continue to receive positive feedback from our Latin America partner nations by offering an in-residence course with Spanish language instruction. English only instruction had previously been a barrier for most of the nations that are now consistently represented in this unique course offering,” explained Ms. Brooke Love Adame, Associate and team lead for Latin American defense acquisition curriculum development.

Eleven military officers and government officials from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Perú, and Panamá attended the two-week short course. Participants possessed a broad range of experience including management, accounting, legal, and contracting. Course participants engaged in daily working group exercises to apply the key concepts discussed in lectures and prepared and presented both a national presentation and working group presentations.

Although the course is targeted towards ranks of 04-06, the program also accepts candidates in more senior positions to facilitate a broader level information exchange. The senior ranking officer in the group, Brigadier General Abraham Sanchez Baez from the Peruvian Army, was an active participant in the course and had learned about the course from prior Peruvian students testimonies of its value, “We have been observing and using various scenarios to help us better understand how processes can work in practice to include the many influences that drive military requirements. From this we are able to formulate a more uniform approach to satisfy those requirements and I am confident all of our forces would benefit from taking this course as it complements our own objectives related to acquisition, contracting, and logistics.” Col. Ivan Maurcio Gonzales-Zapata, Chief Contracting Officer, and head of Acquisition for Military Health Directorate in Colombia, also highlighted the value of the course, “The knowledge I am gaining as a result of this course is very important to us because we can apply this knowledge back home to assist us in our own decision making processes.”

ISG-IDARM faculty were joined by guest lecturers from the NPS Graduate School of Defense Management (GSDM), the Defense Resource Management Institute (DRMI), and the private sector. Course participants will apply what they have learned throughout this course to improve and engage in the process of defense acquisition and contract management in their respective countries. Field Study Program (FSP) activities enhanced the curriculum by fostering interpersonal relationships and providing the international military students a better understanding of American culture. Students toured Monterey, San Francisco, and the Point Lobos State Reserve.

The next course will be offered during 17-28 June, 2020. All course programming is managed through the Security Cooperation Offices (SCOs) and the Naval Education Training and Education Assistance Activity (NETSAFA) using MASL P179623. If countries are interested in programming this course please email badame@nps.edu.