News Posts - Institute for Security Governance

In this issue of The ISG Heron, we cover DSCA Director Heidi Grant's visit to ISG HQ in Monterey, we congratulate colleagues on their awards, and we highlight the integration of the Resident Advisory Program into ISG.

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. 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. 

MoDA was established in 2009 to advance Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) mission and implementation; promote responsible governance, management, and use of security forces; strengthen relationships and institutions to advance reliable partnerships; and enable Security Cooperation investments with supporting and effective partner institutions.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) was honored to host Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Director Heidi Grant and a delegation from DSCA last week (22-24 June 2021) at ISG headquarters in Monterey, CA. The Director was accompanied by Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) Acting President David Sobyra, as well as DSCA Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director CMSgt Daniel Simpson and DSCA Senior Military Assistant to the Director Col Malcolm Pharr. This trip—Director Grant’s first to ISG’s campus since her appointment in August 2020—was aimed at learning more about the Department of Defense’s premier institutional capacity implementer and key international military education and training schoolhouse.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) conducted the state partnership program workshop for the Wisconsin National Guard (WING) and their partner, the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces (PNGDF), at the National Guard Headquarters, Madison, Wisconsin from 25-27 May 2021. The workshop aimed to enhance WING’s understanding of the historical and socio-political context of their partner, provide guidance on US and international partner priorities for the country, and establish a framework for working with the Papua New Guinea (PNG), setting the stage for a review and discussion of potential areas of cooperation between state and country.

The Institute for Security Governance has added two new Smart Sheets to its collection. The Defense Acquisition and Building Resilience for National Defense Smart Sheets were released Wednesday, June 2, 2021. These two additions join the original five which were released in February 2021.

On Tuesday, ISG recognized Andrew Wade, Director of Research within Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School, in a virtual ceremony acknowledging his efforts as an honorary member of the ISG team. Andrew was vital to the planning, coordination, and execution of four engagements with one of ISG's priority partners.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) is humbled and proud to accept the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence in Maintenance Training, Advice, and Assistance of Foreign Security Forces in the Ministerial Category, for a second year in a row. The 2020 award recognizes ISG’s efforts with partners in the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) to build capacity to conduct Capability Based Assessments (CBAs) to strengthen the effectiveness of one our important Middle Eastern partners.

We are proud to bring you the latest issue of The ISG Heron. In addition to featuring compelling goings-on around the Institute, The ISG Heron highlights our work in the world of Security Cooperation and our Institutional Capacity Building activities.

In April 2019, the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) was established by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) as the Department of Defense's Center of Excellence for Institutional Capacity Building (ICB). Despite the global pandemic, which hit just eight months into its transition from the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR), ISG forecasted 413 Advising engagements and 98 Education events with 75 Partner Nations in FY21 alone.

ISG's Emergency Management and Resilience (EM&R) team conducted a virtual workshop in support of partnership with the Republic of Serbia from 10-11 March 2021. This workshop was the first in a series of two this year with the focus on emergency management arrangements and cooperation mechanisms between various ministries, agencies, and organizations for the receipt and/or delivery of international disaster assistance.

An ISG team led by Bob Tomasovic successfully supported the 16th iteration of Yudh Abhyas 2020 (YA20) (a bilateral exercise between the armies of India and the US) from 8-20 February 2021 in Rajasthan, India. The Command Post Exercise (CPX), built on the mutual, strategic objective to strengthen the alliance between the US and India, sought to enhance the level of defense cooperation among both armies, enable security cooperation efforts, foster bilateral relations, and reiterate India’s critical role as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

Thomas-Durell Young, Senior Lecturer in European civil-military relations with the Education and Professional Practice (EPP) Division of the Institute for Security Governance (ISG), recently published an article titled "Capabilities-Based 'Confusion': Why Capabilities-Based Planning Systems Struggle" in The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis on the complexities of defining, implementing, and measuring the success of capabilities-based planning systems.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) conducted a virtual workshop in support of the partnership between the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) and the Republic of Rwanda from 13-15 January 2021. The workshop aimed to enhance NENG's understanding of the historical and socio-political context of their partner, provide guidance on US priorities for the country, and establish a framework for working with the Rwanda Defence Forces, setting the stage for a review and discussion of potential areas of cooperation between state and country.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) has released its first set of “Smart Sheets” on Institutional Capacity Building (ICB). These sheets fulfill the need for clear and concise information about ICB that provides key concepts and offers smart solutions. The Smart Sheets offer a standardized response to frequently asked ICB questions and represent the first set of easily accessible, cornerstone documents developed by a team of ISG experts and drawn from applied and field-tested efforts.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) is humbled and proud to accept the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence in Maintenance Training, Advice, and Assistance of Foreign Security Forces in the Ministerial Category, for a second year in a row. The 2020 award recognizes ISG’s efforts with partners in the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) to build capacity to conduct Capability Based Assessments (CBAs) to strengthen the effectiveness of one our important Middle Eastern partners.

The Institute for Security Governance’s Maritime Security Program conducted a week-long “Civil-Military Approaches to Maritime Security” Course for 167 participants attending the Indonesian Navy Staff College (SESKOAL) in Jakarta from October 12-16.

The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) has a new opening in our faculty team. We are currently recruiting for a Faculty Associate – Education who will serve as ISG’s Communications and Outreach lead. Learn more about the position at the bottom of our "Working with Us" page.

The Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) is now training the latest cohort of candidates for the Ministry of Defense Advisors (MoDA) program at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC) on Camp Atterbury, Indiana. The training of the advisors is conducted by DSCU, and is a key facet of the MoDA Program.

The Institute for Security Governance hosted a Cyber-focused Forum to advance the development of DoD-capabilities to support partner country cybersecurity requirements. The online event brought together more than 80 cybersecurity capacity building stakeholders from across the Department of Defense—including each of the Geographic Combatant Commands and United States Cyber Command—the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Ms. Heidi Grant has been assigned as the new Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), ISG’s parent organization.  Ms. Grant is currently director of the Defense Technology Security Administration and has been selected to assume responsibility from LTG Charles Hooper, who recently retired after 41 years of distinguished service.