A team from the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS) recently traveled to Mexico to conduct a seminar on Human Rights and the Law of Armed Conflict with members of the Mexican military.

 For more than 30 years, DIILS, located in Newport, Rhode Island, has been the lead U.S. Department of Defense Security Cooperation resource for global legal engagement with Partner Nation security sector institutions and personnel. As a component of the Defense Security Cooperation University, DIILS broad mission is to advance U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by building the capacity of foreign security forces to respond to shared security challenges in a responsible, accountable, and legally compliant manner.

DIILS graduated 24 students from the 2020 LCC Course. Countries represented were Cameroon, Egypt, Guatemala, Maldives, Philippines, Kenya, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Republic of North Macedonia, Nigeria, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Burkina Faso and Zambia. LCC is a three-week course for military commanders, legal advisors and their civilian counterparts enhancing their ability to raise awareness of public corruption; explore mechanisms for improving national efforts to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute corrupt practices; understand the international legal framework for combating corruption and the interplay of national law and policy within that framework. LCC builds more effective partner institutions to combat corruption by promoting interaction among participants and with policy-makers, corruption prevention experts and law enforcement officials. Congratulations to the 2020 LCC Class!

DSCA Director, Ms. Heidi Grant, and DSCA Senior Enlisted Advisor, CMSgt Daniel Simpson, visit DIILS and meet with DIILS staff and international participants in our Military Justice resident course.

DIILS recently graduated 15 students from our Military Justice Resident Course. Countries represented were Egypt, Kenya, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Republic of North Macedonia, Ni
 

Covid 19 may have impeded air travel, but DIILS team members have been busy engaging virtually with some of our partner nations. For instance, a DIILS team recently partnered virtually with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) to conduct an institutional capacity building (ICB) engagement on military justice, focused on identifying how DIILS can support the efforts of the RBDF to develop rules for procedure for their nascent criminal justice system. DIILS also conducted a virtual ICB engagement with the RBDF in January 2021, focused on development of new ethics regulations.

DIILS recently conducted a virtual engagement with Vietnam government officials on maritime security operations. For these meetings, DIILS utilized a cooperative governmental approach which, from the US side, included representatives from the United States Coast Guard, Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and the Institute for Security Governance, as well as the Pew Charitable Trust.

DIILS conducted a virtual institution capacity building (ICB) engagement with the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian Ministry of Defense in February. This was DIILS’s first formal ICB engagement with Bulgaria, and marks the beginning of an ICB program intended to support Bulgaria’s efforts to enhance legal capacity, particularly as it relates to enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness. This initial engagement introduced attendees to the DIILS mission and role, the importance of integrating legal advisors into military operations, and the vital role of maritime domain awareness in implementing an effective maritime security program. DIILS looks forward to furthering this partnership with Bulgaria.

DIILS recently conducted a 3-day virtual maritime ICB engagement with the Bahrain Coast Guard (BCG). It was the first formal meeting with DIILS since a pre-COVID visit in December 2019 which introduced the BCG to the DIILS mission, function, and methods. Joined by personnel from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain, and Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, DIILS led a discussion with BCG legal and operational leadership to identify potential areas of cooperation. It proved a very fruitful engagement demonstrating the BCG’s professionalism and shared commitment with the US to strengthen regional maritime security. DIILS looks forward to future engagements with Bahrain.

It is with deep sadness that we extend our condolences on the passing of a highly regarded former DIILS colleague, Mr. Aubrey Bogle. By all accounts, he was a Tennessee gentleman, a scholar, Renaissance man and was dedicated to selfless public service throughout his life. Aubrey served as a line officer in the US Navy from (1967–1983) and as a judge advocate in the Coast Guard (1983–2001) and retired as a USCG Commander. His postgraduate degrees included a Master of Arts degree in Economics (1971) and a Juris Doctorate degree (1980), both from Vanderbilt University. He had been active in CCMR (now ISG) programs since 2003. His military service included five afloat tours and Coast Guard staff legal assignments. He had extensive operational service in the Middle East on the 5th Fleet/US Navy Central Command Staff (1992 and 1997–1999). Mr. Bogle also served on the faculty of the Naval War College as Deputy Director of the International Law Division, lecturing on a wide range of international law topics at the college and in South America. In 2001, he retired from active military service, and accepted a position in the curriculum department at DIILS. In addition to his time in curriculum, Aubrey also served as the first Regional Program Director for United States Central Command where he was instrumental in DIILS’s first program in Iraq, and later served as the RPD for US Pacific Command. Aubrey was also a co-founder of the Legal Aspects of Combatting Terrorism course in 2004. Mr. Bogle retired from DIILS in 2010 and Federal Service in 2011 and moved to Albuquerque, NM with his wife, Maxine. He maintained long lasting friendships at DIILS with many and will be missed by all. Aubrey was buried with full military honors on 8 April, at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/santafe.asp (link is external)).

On 18-20 May 2021, DIILS conducted advanced-level Human Rights and Law of Armed Conflict seminar in connection with personnel from a variety of infantry, artillery and special operations units, of the State Security Service of Georgia. Participants demonstrated greatest interest and engagement with issues relating to targeting and use of force in International Armed Conflict.