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Announcing the latest ISG Heron – a quarterly newsletter highlighting our work in Security Cooperation and Institutional Capacity Building as well as the people who contribute to this important mission.

In this issue ISG:
• Recounts an SC Development from DSCU President, Dr. Gventer
• Highlights two unique perspectives from Women in Defense Advising
• Wishes Fair Winds and Following Seas to Dr. Robert Baumann
• Recaps activities bolstering Ukrainian National Resiliency
• Rounds-up Peacekeeping Activities around the globe
• Celebrates another year of success with an ISG Turns Four report
• Provides exciting updates from ISG HQ

DSCU’s Institute for Security Governance (ISG), in coordination with the National Guard Bureau - International Affairs (NGB-IA) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), conducted a symposium focused on “African Security and Climate Change” from 31 May-1 June 2023 for State Partnership Programs (SPP) partnered with African countries. The workshop brought together stakeholders from the SPP teams, the NGB-IA, AFRICOM J5, the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy (OSD-P), the National Security Council (NSC), the Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and other experts to dialogue on the nexus between climate change and Security Cooperation; to promote whole of government-regional approaches, and to develop recommendations for better integrating climate security into broader Security Cooperation and SPP activities.

Recently, the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) facilitated a workshop with the Kenya Ministry of Defense (KMoD) to collaborate on a civilian professionalization plan within the Kenyan civil service. Moving forward with ISG support, the KMoD staff will conduct their own review sessions, in-country interviews, and international case studies on civil service reform to help shape new policy.

ISG looks forward to continuing this important advising effort with plans for future working sessions with the Kenya Defense Force and the Kenya Public Service Commission.

All the best to the latest group of course participants to complete ISG’s resident course: DEVELOPING CYBER ORGANIZATIONS AND WORKFORCES.

This course recognizes that establishing an organization and workforce capable of conducting defensive missions in cyberspace takes careful, deliberate planning and collaborative relationships across a ministry and across government. Through instruction, classroom discussions, and practical exercises, participants are introduced to the concepts and knowledge necessary to lead the development of their organizations’ cyber strategy, cyber policy, cyber budgeting, cyber acquisition, and cyber workforce.

Institute for Security Governance’s (ISG) Functional Lead for Civil-Military Relations & Security Governance and Women Peace Security (WPS) Functional Co-lead, Nicholas Tomb, gave a virtual presentation to the Tesla Government Civil Affairs Working Group. Nick’s talk centered on Civil-Military Operations (CMO), activities that military units (oftentimes civil affairs teams) undertake as a practical means to perform Civil Affairs to enhance Civil-Military Relations.

Congratulations to the latest cohort of International Defense Acquisition Resource Management (IDARM) “Principles of Defense Acquisition and Contract Management” graduates. This particular resident course was conducted with Spanish simultaneous interpretation and tailored to focus on specific challenges and opportunities within the Latin American context at DSCU's Institute for Security Governance in beautiful Monterey, California.

This International Defense Acquisition Resource Management (IDARM) course provides a practical examination of defense acquisition and contracting with an emphasis on defense acquisition logistics, contract management, and building and sustaining accountability in defense acquisition decision-making. The course addresses the importance of managing risk throughout the defense acquisition life cycle, with a focus on logistics implementation.