The Defense Security Cooperation University’s (DSCU) Institute for Security Governance (ISG) is the Department of Defense’s leading implementer for Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) and one of its primary international schoolhouses. As a component of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), ISG is charged with building partner institutional capacity and capability through tailored advising, education, and professional development programs grounded in American values and approaches.
Founded in 1994 as the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR), and reestablished as the Institute for Security Governance in 2019, ISG is headquartered in Monterey, CA, co-located on Naval Support Activity Monterey, with personnel based at the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) campus in Arlington, VA, near geographic combatant commands, and at other locations throughout the United States.
Mission:
Strengthen the institutional capacity of partners and allies’ security sectors to advance U.S. national policy interests and address shared security challenges.
Vision:
Promote and advance American values, interests, and objectives through the development, integration, and advancement of the field and practice of Institutional Capacity Building.
ISG Team & Expertise:
The ISG team is comprised of a civilian faculty and staff of over 125 government personnel augmented by a contract support team, a robust group of adjunct faculty, and a team of subject matter experts drawn from the military, government, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations.
Functions, Focus & Activities:
ISG’s engagement with U.S. and international partners enables and strengthens defense and security institutions, builds critical military capabilities, and supports shared security interests. Its mission is achieved by:
Advising Organizations
ISG ICB efforts are driven by broader U.S. policy, aligned with strategic guidance in the National Defense and National Military Strategies, and support mutual U.S.-partner nation objectives congruent with Geographic Combatant Command and U.S. Embassy plans, programs, and activities. ISG’s experienced teams work with partners to cultivate security governance, defense management, operational planning, resource management, defense logistics, cybersecurity, human capital oversight, and professional military education among many other functional areas. Baselined by detailed scoping and tailored project design, ISG integrates innovative assessment, monitoring, and evaluation practices into each capacity building effort, fostering long-term Security Cooperation relationships that fulfill Congressionally mandated ICB requirements. ISG employs Non-Resident Advisors, who conduct periodic multi-year, in-country and virtual ICB partner engagements as well as Resident Advisors, who provide persistent engagement by deploying in-country for up to two years.
Educating Individuals
ISG’s tailored education and professional development courses help build and sustain a comprehensive knowledge base and strengthen partner capacities to confront complex security and defense challenges. Delivered in the United States, abroad, and sometimes virtually in a short-course format, these offerings bring applied learning practices into bilateral or multilateral classroom environments. Participants are encouraged to engage in open, peer-to-peer learning, and form long-term international and interagency networks.
Professionalizing ICB
ISG – collaborating with other DSCU components – advances the professionalization of ICB practitioners through high-quality instruction in the theory and application of ICB to the Security Cooperation enterprise and beyond. As the DoD’s primary ICB implementer, the Institute is a key resource for ICB-related information including best practices, common challenges, and lessons-learned, helping to refine and strengthen the United States’ ability to effectively engage with partners toward shared security goals.
Focus Areas:
Regional Focus
• Africa
• Europe
• Indo-Pacific
• Middle East & Central Asia
• Western Hemisphere
ICB Advising & Defense Management
• Capability-Based Assessments
• Concept & Doctrine Development
• Cyber Capability Development
• Domain Awareness, Control & Intelligence Interoperability
• Force Planning & Management
• Governance & Management
• Human Capital Development
• Joint Capability & Resource Planning
• Logistics & Sustainment
• Resource Management
• Strategy, Policy & Planning
• Space
Education & Professional Development
• Security Governance & Civil-Military Relations
• Cyber Capability
• Emergency Management & Resilience
• International Defense Acquisition & Resource Management
• Logistics Capability Building
• Maritime Security
• Peacekeeping, Conflict, and Terrorism
ISG Implementation Modes:
ISG is dedicated to advancing U.S. national security and policy objectives by building partner nation institutional capacity. ISG carries out this mission through resident and mobile education activities as well as through resident and non-resident advising.
Non-Resident Advising
Conducted both in partner nations and virtually several times a year — including continuous
intersessional touchpoints — focusing on building adaptable Institutional Capacity Building programs to meet shared bilateral Security Cooperation objectives
Resident Advising
Deploy to select partner nations for 12–24 months — with the option of extension — partnering senior DoD civilian experts with allied counterparts to improve ministerial capacity in key areas.
Resident Education
Conducted primarily at ISG headquarters in Monterey, CA, for an international cohort in an adult learning style; includes breakout groups, interactive exercises, student-led presentations, and related approaches; provides adaptable, scalable, and tailored education programs across a wide array of focus areas to address U.S. and partner nation security objectives.
Mobile Education
Conducted in bilateral or regional formats in partner countries; tailored to the bilateral and/or regional context; designed in working group, workshop, and seminar formats.
Exercises
Support U.S. bilateral and multi-lateral exercises with partner nations; 2–4 weeks in length for execution, with planning timelines of 9–12 months.
Courses:
For resources related to the Institute’s educational programming offered in resident, regional, and mobile formats -- including the content and timing of these various offerings, please visit: https://www.dscu.edu/isg/schoolhouse-hub
Smart Sheets
ISG has developed a series of concise papers, or Smart Sheets, designed to inform USG stakeholders and partner institutions about specific Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) functional or issue areas. Each sheet presents the specific challenge faced, the current state of the field, the role ICB plays in resolving the challenge, and provides ICB best practice recommendations.