Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Command Senior Enlisted Leader

DSCA’s mission is to advance U.S. defense and foreign policy interests by building the capacity of foreign partners to encourage and enable allies and partners to respond to shared challenges. An integral part of that mission is administering the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program across the United States Department of Defense on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. DSCA has brought a new, educational tool online to help bring clarity to a highly complex and deliberative process. Defense Security Cooperation University, as the center of intellectual life for the #securitycooperation enterprise, collaborated with subject matter experts to create a publicly available course that offers an overview of the FMS process, from requirements generation to case closure. The virtual Wall Walk is a mobile-ready course and is intended for a diverse community – really, anyone interested in learning more about security cooperation and how the U.S. Federal Government uses these programs to meet important foreign policy and national security objectives. Click here for virtual Wall Walk: https://lnkd.in/eTH3-tH7

Recently, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) officially launched the Brigadier General Charles Young Research, Analysis, and Lessons Learned Institute within the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU)!   The DSCU Young Institute serves the #SecurityCooperation enterprise through research, critical inquiry, and scholarship that advances the knowledge and practice of security cooperation.   Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities Madeline Mortelmans provided keynote remarks. She discussed how a highly professional and informed security cooperation workforce is critical to achieving U.S. foreign policy and National Defense Strategy objectives. Also, she welcomed and thanked members of the Young family and the Charles Young Foundation for their attendance and their mission to preserve the legacy of a great American.   Read more about Brigadier General Young, DSCU’s new Young Institute, and how DSCU is responding to legislative mandates here: https://lnkd.in/eKPAubCS   Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy #dsca #dscu 

Check out this DVIDS article on the annual State Partnership Program Conference. During the conference, I gave a speech on security cooperation and NCO development: https://lnkd.in/eJrxEA_K #DSCA #securitycooperation #SPP #NCO

I recently had the opportunity to visit our Baltics nation allies, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with DSCA Director Jim Hursch. These nations have been allies with the United States since 1922 and have several notable Security Cooperation programs with us.    I spent my first day in Lithuania where I met with acting Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL), Darius Marozas for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, an old classmate of mine from the Army Sergeants Major Academy. There, I got an overview of their current and emerging efforts to further develop interoperable Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) for greater synergy inside the NATO Alliance. I then travelled to Latvia on my second day where I met with Latvian CSEL Edgars Joksts-Bogdanovs. SGM Joksts-Bogdanovs expressed Latvia’s desire to have the United States as their partner of choice for both capabilities and NCO development. Together, we attended a meeting with Mr. Hursch and the Latvian Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš, further strengthening the senior leader and enlisted leader relationship that is growing stronger throughout our partners and Allies’ militaries. On my final day, I visited Estonia, where I met with the Estonia Defense Forces CSEL Enn Adoson to discuss NATO NCO interoperability, and training and exercise opportunities that could bolster the U.S.- Estonia relationship. I also met with the Baltic Defense College (BDC) CSEL Alvydas Tamosiunas and discussed their critical role in educating U.S. and Partner Nation CSELs on leadership that creates more interoperability on the battlefield and long-lasting relationships. In addition, we discussed the critical role of space-centric curriculum integrated into the BDC CSEL Course to ensure our future leaders understand and can lead in this complex mission area. #DSCA #securitycooperation #NATO #Lithuania #Latvia #Estonia #ncos

Happy Anniversary to the Institute for Security Governance!

The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) has just unveiled the 2024 annual report, "To Walk the Earth in Safety."  This report showcases the impactful efforts of U.S. conventional weapons destruction programs in aiding communities affected by explosive remnants of war to recover and rebuild.  DSCA’s component, the Humanitarian Demining Training Center is also featured in this report on page 43. It is dedicated to training and equipping U.S. military forces, U.S. government stakeholders, as well as U.S. allies and partner nations in conducting humanitarian mine action missions, explosive remnants of war disposal, and physical security and stockpile management through innovative "Train the Trainer" instructional methods. Read more about these crucial initiatives: https://lnkd.in/eyvgUmKn Learn more about HDTC: https://lnkd.in/eQSWChGW #Demining #HumanitarianAid #SecurityCooperation

 The U.S. Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force are providing foreign humanitarian assistance during an ongoing disaster relief mission in Mindanao, Republic of the Philippines, at the request of the Government of the Philippines.   Read more about these essential efforts:  https://lnkd.in/en5DCCV9   #Oorah #HumanitarianAssistance #PhilippinesReliefMission

Since 1986, the month of April has been designated as the Month of the Military Child. Currently, there are more than 1.3 million active-duty service members, and 19 million veterans globally. Many of the students in our classrooms may be connected to the military through their family members.   This April, I encourage you to “Purple Up!” Purple is known by the military community to unite all of the services. During April, it is used to thank military children, youth and teens for their strength and sacrifices.     Want some fun ways to educate young students?     Check out this great tool from the White House: https://lnkd.in/gry94e4c

DSCU Call for Papers: Submissions to the 2024 Security Cooperation Conference    The Defense Security Cooperation University is pleased to invite submissions to the 2024 Security Cooperation Conference, which will be held in late October 2024. The theme of this year’s conference is “Building Lasting Partnerships: Mission Possible.”    We invite submissions that include individual presentations or complete panels for analytical content, or posters for describing government programs in #SecurityCooperation. Broad participation is encouraged across communities of practice and of interest with the intent to increase the number of Conference speakers this year.     DSCU plans to review 2024 Conference submissions from now to May 1, 2024. Please find the full call for proposals and instructions here: https://lnkd.in/emUQm3Ee.    #dod #dsca #dscu #drmi #isg #diils #research

LEAD Forward, the Defense Security Cooperation University’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council, hosted a University-wide commemoration of Women’s History Month yesterday. Participants enjoyed an enriching panel discussion led by four DSCU colleagues.     The panelists featured were Dr. Celeste Gventer, DSCU President; Dr. Natalie Webb, Defense Resources Management Institute Director and the College of Strategic Security Cooperation Acting Dean; COL Elizabeth “Liz” Allen, Defense Institute of International Legal Studies Director; and Ms. Sam Turner, Institute for Security Governance Professor of Practice. Ms. Tamara Phillips, School of Security Cooperation Studies Vice Dean and LEAD Forward member, served as the moderator. The event also greatly benefited from DSCU personnel participants’ contributions and frank conversation.     The theme of the discussion was “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” The engaging discussions spanned DEI topics, personal experiences, academic research, and the practice of #SecurityCooperation. Panelist shared the importance of acknowledging lived experiences, listening, empathy, and how we can operationalize diversity, equity, and inclusion within DSCU. Conversations also centered around the need to incorporate DEI into Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) to ensure partner-focused, consultative approaches to ICB engagement.    Founded in the summer of 2020 as a grassroots effort to provide a space for listening and learning, LEAD Forward's charter was signed by DSCU's President in September 2022. The charter's mission states, in part, that LEAD Forward aims to promote an ethos of DEIA with a scope to advance and support the development of #DEIA competencies at the individual, unit, and institutional levels across DSCU.