What We Do
An ISG faculty member uses a creative graphic to break down principles of multi-agency and interagency collaboration.
What We Do Page

AT OUR CORE

Institutional capacity building (ICB) drives ISG. It is our fundamental mission, is the catalyst for our partnerships, and inspires our research. ISG’s efforts with U.S. colleagues and international partners are designed to enable and strengthen defense and security institutions, build capabilities, and support shared security interests. These efforts include policies, procedures and systems that enable partners to govern, manage, operate, maintain, and sustain defense and security capabilities. ISG’s mission efforts are divided into four primary tasks:

ADVISING INSTITUTIONS TO BUILD CAPACITY
Our long-term advising efforts enable partners to govern, manage, operate, maintain, and sustain defense capacity and capabilities. ISG's experienced teams work with specific partner institutions to cultivate security governance, defense management, operational planning, resources management, defense logistics, human capital and professional military education and many other critical tasks. Powered by detailed scoping and custom project design, ISG integrates innovative assessment, monitoring, and evaluation practices into each capacity building effort.
Two women in front of a whiteboard. The one on the right is pointing at posted notes on the board.
An ISG advising and consulting team facilitates an active, partner-led strategy development workshop.
EDUCATING INDIVIDUALS TO BUILD CAPABILITY
ISG designs and delivers short-format education and professional development courses that accelerate participant understanding of complex security and defense issues. Delivered in the US or abroad, our offerings bring applied learning practices into bilateral or multilateral classroom environments. Participants are encouraged to engage in open, peer-to-peer learning and form lasting international and interagency networks.
TWO MEN POSING IN FRONT OF BLUE SCREEN WITH ISG LOGO. ONE MAN IS HOLDING A CERTIFICATE WHILE THEY SHAKE HANDS
An ISG advising and consulting team facilitates an active, partner-led strategy development workshop.
ADVANCING THE FIELD AND PRACTICE OF ICB
As the ICB Center of Excellence, ISG is charged with pushing the field and practice of ICB forward. We contribute to research and development in emergent domains within the field and remain a key resource for ICB-related information; including best practices, common challenges, and lessons learned. ISG also serves as a space where ICB methodology is discussed, refined, and strengthened.
An ISG faculty member discusses original research at an academic conference.
An ISG faculty member discusses original research at an academic conference.
ENHANCING ICB IN SECURITY COOPERATION
ISG seeks to deepen understanding of ICB throughout the security cooperation community. This includes orienting and integrating existing capacity building efforts, offering opportunities to coordinate and collaborate, providing helpful tools and resources, and growing future ICB military and civilian leaders. To meet these objectives, ISG reports to the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) and works closely with other security cooperation education and training bodies.
A female instructor talking to a participant
ISG hosts a multilateral, interagency event to build security cooperation networks and encourage collaboration. Attendees include US Foreign Area Officers, international and civilian military course participants, visiting experts, and our faculty and staff.

GLOBALLY ENGAGED

The ISG mission is global. In fiscal year 2019, we worked with representatives of 120+ countries (highlighted on map below) and held over 450 events. In doing so, we built lasting individual and institutional partnerships worldwide. We continue to do this meaningful, inclusive work today.

map of the world with countries highlighted in yellow

A gray Mercator projection map is laid out on the screen. Specific countries are highlighted in a gold color in order to indicate the number of partners ISG had in FY19. The countries that are highlighted in gold are: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia , Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Congo, North Macedonia, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Suriname Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia.

OUR STRUCTURE

The structure of ISG allows us to be agile and responsive. We are organized into divisions (see arrows), with the heads of each division joining the director to form the ISG leadership team (far left). The Management, Operations, & Administration (MOA) division (middle arrow) extends services to the other divisions and is the engine of ISG. The remaining divisions focus on functionally-designated aspects of advising and education. Cross-pollination of these four divisions is leveraged to meet individual partner need and respond to specific project demand.

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white isg logo

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Innovation &
Learning Division

Assessment & Integration
Doctrine & Learning
Education & Exercises
Monitoring & Evaluating
Research & Development
Scoping & Design

Advising &
Consulting

Africa Region
Europe & Eurasia Region
Indo-Pacific Region
Middle East Region
Western Hemisphere Region

Management, Operations
& Administration Division

Business Operations
Institute Operations
Outreach & Communications
Travel

Education & Professional
Practice Division

Civil-Military Relations
Human Capital & Professional Military Education
Logistics Capacity Building
Resource Management & Acquisition
Strategy, Policy & Planning

Peace &
Security Division

Conflict Prevention & Recovery
Combating Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Cyber Capacity Building
Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Response
Maritime Security
Peacekeeping Programs