News Posts - Defense Security Cooperation University

Happy International Women’s Day!

On this International Women’s Day, ISG recognizes, values, and celebrates the achievements and contributions of the women we work with here at ISG HQ, in our nation’s capital, and around the world. 

Including women in decision-making processes yields more diverse perspectives on how to address national security challenges, resulting in more effective strategic and operational responses to those challenges.

ISG held a multinational staff officer course as part of Exercise Justified Accord 2023 (JA23) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.  The course focused on African Union and United Nations peace keeping operations and offered instruction on humanitarian assistance principles and real world problem solving for situations such as Cholera outbreaks and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.  The course included over 100 participants from 17 partner nations and is U.S. Africa Command's largest exercise in East Africa.  

Read the full article here.

An ISG team recently had the pleasure of meeting with Polish Air Inspectorate partners, to include a  visit to the 2nd Tactical Air Wing at Krzesiny Air Base to learn more about current F-16 and future F-35 air operations. ISG looks forward to continued collaboration Poland as a key NATO partner and leader in regional air operations.

Institutional Capacity Building is a long-game. Ideally, ICB happens over many years and cultivates relationships with partners that have exponential impact. Today, ISG would like to showcase one example of those efforts with the recognition of Ms. Remy Antipoc who was recently awarded Armed Forces of the Philippines Defense Civilian Employee of the Year by President Marcos Jr. Ms. Antipoc is a 2019 graduate of ISG/IDARM's Defense Acquisition and Contract Management Course. She is now the Program Manager for the development and integration of the Philippine Navy's first Unmanned Aircraft Systems capability unit in addition to many other U.S.-funded programs.

An ISG Team and members of the 162nd Wing, Arizona Air National Guard, were hosted by the Slovak Air Force to a site visit at Sliač Air Base – the future home of 14 new F-16 aircraft. 

In addition to touring base facilities, the Team learned about Slovak Air Force maintenance and pilot training capabilities and how we can continue to support our partner in Institutional Capacity Building efforts and Security Cooperation in the future.

The Institute for Security Governance’s Institutional Capacity Building efforts in Kenya include a line of effort focused on cross-agency coordination, capability standardization, and competent civilian oversight.

In that vein, Kenya’s Defense Cabinet Secretary recently hosted officials from the Kenya United States Liaison Office (KUSLO) for the Heads of Department in the Kenyan Ministry of Defence. The high-level meeting, led by ISG’s Ms. Jessie Evans (pictured), was a culmination of a week-long workshop on the best practices and technical support for the civilian staff. 

In the last few weeks, the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) has been hard at work in the Indo-Pacific region building partner capacity. 

ISG sent two Teams to Thailand: One to support the Royal Thai Navy in developing an improved common operating picture for Maritime Domain Awareness, and another to conduct a United Nations Military Observers Course for thirty-six Thai field grade officers and five other regional partners in conjunction with United States Indo-Pacific Command.

The United States takes an active role in safeguarding its maritime domain as well as maintaining a high level of preparedness within the maritime community around the globe. Two years ago, the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) began supporting the Dominican Republic (DR) by working with its Navy to increase its maritime readiness. The goal of this partnership is to advance U.S. national security and policy objectives by advancing Dominican institutional capabilities. As the Department of Defense’s leading implementer for Institutional Capacity Building (ICB), the Institute strives to improve security sector governance and core management competencies needed to effectively achieve shared security objectives.

Congratulations to ISG Africa Regional Program Lead Dr. Whitney Grespin for her significant contribution to the recently published book, Sandhurst Trends in International Conflict: Women, Peace and Security in Military Operations, edited by Andree-Anne Melancon and Max Thompson (Howgate Publishing). Dr. Grespin authored Chapter 6: Enhancing Operational Effectiveness Through an Analysis of the Women, Peace, and Security Environment in Djibouti. 

DSCA and ISG would like to announce the Fiscal Year 2022 U.S. arms transfer figures, as well as other notable Security Cooperation community statistics highlighting the depth and breadth of U.S. Security Cooperation efforts.

Security Cooperation programs such as the Foreign Military Sales and International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs are important tools of U.S. foreign policy with potential long-term implications for the regional and global security of U.S. allies and partner nations. 

The ISG Team recently came together for a three-day on-site meeting in Monterey, California and online. Events included a recognition ceremony for Mr. Steven Peterson for his five years of leadership as ISG Director as well as a town hall welcoming Acting Director Mr. David Manero in which colleagues learned more about his vision for the Institute during this important transitional period. 

Happy New Year! In this issue of The ISG Heron, the Institute bids farewell to its Director, Steve Peterson, takes a look at notable Security Cooperation events in D.C., assesses Ukrainian National Resilience as a Shared Security Objectives, offers a standing ovation to Africa Regional Program Lead Jessie Evans, highlights Resident Education contributions from the “Strategies and Capabilities for Cyber Challenges” course, marks ISG's successful participation in the 2022 Gobi Wolf Exercise, wishes farewell to ISG Regional Advising colleagues, Linwood Ham and Gary Espinas, and provides updates from ISG HQ.

In October, The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) facilitated the second Joint Operational Planners Course (JOP) in Muscat, Oman for members of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and other Omani Ministries. While the first workshop focused on a whole-of-government response to a cyclone disaster impacting the Omani coastline, this course presented a joint military and inter-ministry response to a simultaneous border incursion threatening the territorial sovereignty of Oman and a refugee crisis requiring humanitarian assistance. 

ISG’s Peacekeeping & Exercises Team recently returned from its support to the Yudh Abhyas Exercise – a bilateral training exercise held annually since 2004, aimed at promoting cooperation between the United States and Indian militaries, while sharing training, cultural exchanges, and building joint operating skills.

ISG has been a long-term implementation partner with U.S. Army Pacific. The Institute has developed and executed the Command Post Exercise (CPX) for Yudh Abhyas since 2010, and is responsible for the design, planning, and facilitation of the CPX based on guidelines agreed by U.S. and Indian commanders. 

The Institute for Security Governance recently met with senior officials from the Hungarian Ministry of Defence (MoD), Cyber Operations Command, and Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) Transformation Command to assess current and future support to institutional capacity building objectives related to cyber operations and strategic defense planning. Engagements such as these help all parties involved be better prepared to respond to current national and regional security threats.

ISG recently delivered a series of three back-to-back courses at ISG HQ in Monterey related to defense acquisition and resource management to a cadre of Partner Nation participants from around the globe. International Defense Acquisition Resource Management (IDARM) courses and activities are designed to strengthen defense acquisition processes and decision-making, and to help nations understand and adopt modern business practices. IDARM  Courses can cover a combination of interrelated subjects, with the goal of offering defense leaders the opportunity to explore strategic issues, which must be addressed in order to improve their nation’s defense acquisition processes and business practices. Courses are tailored to the specific government organizational structures, national acquisition statutes and regulations, and defense acquisition objectives of the Partner Nation.

Read more about ISG’s Resident and Mobile Education courses: https://instituteforsecuritygovernance.org/schoolhouse-hub

The Institute for Security Governance recently concluded a Maritime Domain Awareness course at the Philippines’ National Coast Watch Center in Manila for senior-level Navy, Coast Guard, and civilian officials. The course combined general instruction with interactive learning activities including a SWOT analysis and a table-top exercise.

ISG conducted the second iteration of the "Women, Leadership, and National Defense" course at ISG headquarters in Monterey, CA. The course was attended by 24 participants from 17 countries. Learning modules were delivered by a variety of academic, government, and non-governmental subject matter experts, and covered a range of topics from the effects of gendered domestic laws on women’s advancement, to gender and trafficking of persons. The course sets the stage for improved country-level women, peace, and security (WPS) related efforts in the participant countries.

Inter-agency stakeholders from across the Armenian government recently gathered to discuss findings from an all-hazards national-level Disaster Preparedness Capacity Assessment led by the Institute for Security Governance. This assessment and strategic dialogue came at a pivotal moment for Armenia. This effort was conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Kansas National Guard, and the U.S. Embassy of Armenia.

The Institute for Security Governance recently participated in the mid-year Joint Committee Meeting hosted by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Koror Palau. ISG engaged with the Palauan delegation regarding Institutional Capacity Building activities to complement the ongoing Defense Institute of International Legal Studies Maritime Security legal assistance effort.

ISG Regional Advising Principal Scott Woodruff Lyons recently published an article titled, “The U.S.’s Recent Enhanced Efforts to Fight Corruption by Protected Individuals” in the latest issue of The American Society of International Law's ASIL Insights. The article spotlights a legal case against a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to illustrate how the United States is making strides in its fight against corruption, in this case, by foreign officials.