Latest News - Defense Security Cooperation University

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) West Africa Regional Program Lead, Dr. Whitney Grespin, presented at the United States Army Special Operations Command’s (USASOC) Geostrategic Symposium at Fort Bragg, N.C. Dr. Grespin engaged and shared her academic and practical expertise with USASOC and U.S. Government interagency stakeholders.

Kudos to ISG Africa Regional Program Lead, Dr. Whitney Grespin, whose journal article was published in the world’s leading journals of international relations, International Affairs. The May issue features a variety of articles surrounding legitimizing International Organizations. Dr. Grespin reviews two books – Illicit money: financing terrorism in the twenty-first century, by Jessica Davis, and Blood money: how criminals, militias, rebels, and warlords finance violence, by Margaret Sankey. The full review can be found here.

ISG recently concluded the Civil-Military Coordination in Disaster Relief course which develops a comprehensive understanding of how national governments organize and use their armed forces to support domestic and international disaster response operations. 

The course emphasizes cross-community understanding and communication skills that improve the ways that armed forces, government civilian agencies, and non- and inter-governmental organizations can work more effectively alongside one another in disaster relief.

Congratulations to ISG’s Jennifer Grigsby for being honored by her local Chamber of Commerce as a Woman of Distinction! Presented by the Somerset Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce on “Mid-Mornings with Amy Stroud,” WYKY Somerset 106.1 FM, Ms. Grigsby was nominated by her local community in recognition of Women's History Month.  

Ms. Jennifer Grigsby serves as a member of the Regional Advising team at the Institute for Security Governance with responsibilities to facilitate, develop, execute and monitor institutional capacity building efforts and enable Partner Nations to develop effective and accountable defense and security institutions.

The Institute for Security Governance recently worked with U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet and the navies and coast guards from over 30 countries to redesign the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training multilateral training exercise.

Going forward, this exercise will incorporate a biannual Indo-Pacific Regional Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Information Sharing (IS) Forum focused on meeting the Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) objectives of regional Significant Security Cooperation Initiatives.

ISG efforts to build partner capacity with regard to MDA and IS are intended to contribute to regional security and to facilitate multilateral coordination through a rules-based international order.

ISG recently conducted engagements alongside U.S. Embassy Praia’s Office of Security Cooperation with Deputy Director Cabo Verde National Maritime Operations Center (COSMAR), the Director of Cabo Verde Defense Force Personnel Command, leadership of the Escola Militar, and the Commandant and Staff of the 3rd Military Region Base. The scoping visit included the assessment of the institutional capacity building needs in support of upcoming AFRICOM Significant Security Cooperation Initiatives.