Posted on: 9/27/2023
In 2023, the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) conducted five, seven-week Security Cooperation Organization (SCO) courses, which provided nearly 250 SCO students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to translate partner nation requirements into actionable Security Cooperation initiatives. DSCU’s SCO Department delivers professional, competency-focused education and training for all personnel assigned to a SCO.
SCO personnel serve in critical positions within the Security Cooperation enterprise and are integral in conducting Security Cooperation activities with allies and partners. As directed in the National Defense Strategy, DSCU is tasked with preparing a fully educated and trained corps of professional SCO practitioners who are ready to meet the challenges of the complex, interagency, and international SCO operational environment.
In 2023, DSCU also facilitated the four-week SCO Spouse Course for 70 SCO spouses. This course provides SCO spouses with an in-depth understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and resources related to living overseas and supporting the U.S. Department of Defense mission.
As a University that is committed to continually evaluating and refining curriculum to address the current strategic reality, in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), the SCO education and training program will expand to encompass an eight-week course at three locations: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Muscatatuck, Indiana; and the National Capital Region. The course will also integrate the Department of State-mandated Foreign Affairs/Counter Threat (FACT) Course.
In FY24, the SCO Spouse Course will remain four weeks in length but will evolve to include an in-residence option during the final week, giving them the opportunity to join their SCO spouses at Wright-Patterson AFB for an integrated series of lessons and a formal diplomatic dining event.
DSCU also offers the SCO Basic Operations Course for students who need a less comprehensive yet solid understanding of SCO operations. This 50-hour, self-paced, virtual course provides important foundational knowledge for executing Security Cooperation activities with allies and partners in support of U.S. defense and security policy.
DSCU’s mission is to advance the knowledge and practice of Security Cooperation through the education, training, and development of the U.S. Security Cooperation workforce and through the education, training, and institutional capacity building of partner nations; and to produce research, analysis, and lessons learned that expand the intellectual foundations of Security Cooperation.