2024 Security Cooperation Conference: Building Lasting Partnerships; What Have We Learned?

October 27–30, 2024

The third annual Security Cooperation (SC) Conference, organized by the Defense Security Cooperation University (DCSU), addressed the pressing need to deepen alliances and partnerships to support better Security Cooperation outcomes. The 2024 SC Conference focused on working effectively and sustainably with allies and partners.


Building on discussions of challenges and complexities in Security Cooperation from the past two annual conferences, the 2024 SC Conference showcased the utility of informing practice with evidence-based knowledge, and vice versa. The conference occurred on October 27–30, 2025, and brought together professionals who conduct research informing security cooperation practice and those engaged in the reflective practice of Security Cooperation. These professionals hailed from various sectors, such as government, military, and private industry, to address how to work more effectively and sustainably with allies and partners.


The conference included 466 participants from four non-Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, five combatant commands, five military services, five DoD regional centers, four Congressional committees, and fifty-seven universities. Sixty-five foreign attendees also participated, including thirty-two foreign military and Embassy representatives and twenty-two foreign researchers. These individuals engaged in discussions across nine panel sessions covering a range of topics: partnership strategies, partnership dynamics, industry partnerships, regional realities, functional approaches, planning and execution, and implementation.