College of International Security Affairs

The College of International Security Affairs (CISA), formerly known as the School for National Security Executive Education (SNSEE), is one of five colleges at the National Defense University. It is a U.S. Department of Defense institution for education in combating terrorism, irregular warfare, and integrated deterrence at the strategic level.

The College is tasked with educating joint warfighters, civilian national security leaders, and partner nations in critical thinking to inform national strategy and globally integrated operations, under conditions of disruptive change, with a special emphasis on irregular warfare. Students work with government agencies and partner nations to develop and implement national and international security strategies, take part in a capstone exercise, and compose an original thesis. Upon successful completion of the College curriculum, students are conferred a Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies.[1]

History

In 2003, School for National Security Executive Education (SNSEE) began offering a formal certificate program for International Counterterrorism and Fellows (CTFs). That same year, SNSEE was designated as the flagship of the Combating Terrorism Fellowship Program (CTF), receiving 10 students in its inaugural class.[2]

In 2009, the CTF program grew to 60 students with the inclusion of 20 U.S. Government civilian professionals in the overall student body alongside 40 international partners. Since 2009, these American students have hailed from across the interagency, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Transportation, Defense Intelligence Agency, Office of Naval Intelligence, Department of State, and U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Even with the inclusion of American students, however, international officers, police, and security professionals have remained about two-thirds of the CTF program student body. During the 2010-2011 Academic Year, the U.S. Army detailed a lieutenant colonel to the CTF program, and upon graduation, the Army G-3/5/7 awarded the officer Senior Service College credit.

During the 2011-2012 Academic Year, the CTF MA program included four officers from the U.S. Army and one from the U.S. Air Force, all of whom have been awarded constructive credit for their services. In 2010, CISA adapted its program once again in response to a request from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, establishing an additional location at Ft. Bragg, NC, and writing curriculum to underpin the evolving role of Special Operations Forces in the combating terror, irregular warfare, and building partner capacity missions. This program's curriculum focused on institutionalizing lessons from irregular conflicts in conjunction with CISA's existing, strategic-level courses on the 21st century security environment and strategic planning. The first class at Ft. Bragg consisted of 20 special operators; in 2011-2012, the class doubled. In 2011-2012, CISA once again responded to an emerging strategic need as it hosted its first cohort of the South and Central Asia Studies program, often referred to as the Afghanistan-Pakistan, or Af-Pak, Hands program. Developed at the request of the Director of the Joint Staff in late 2010 to support the needs of the joint warfighter, the inaugural Af-Pak Hands program at CISA consisted of 23 U.S. officers returning from deployment to Afghanistan or Pakistan, providing them with an opportunity to reflect, study, and build upon their substantial experiences in theater, and thereby better prepare them to return and contribute to mission success. For the Af-Pak students, CISA adapted its joint education program, developing focused courses in South and Central Asian history, politics, and security issues, and in irregular warfare to support U.S. strategy and policy in a theater declared a vital national interest to the United States. The Af-Pak officers and the CTF students were integrated in several core and elective courses, thereby enriching the experience of students in both programs. The Af-Pak hands in the CISA South and Central Asian Program (SCAP) were integrated into the CTF program for core courses, electives, academic exercises, and distinguished lectures and professional development opportunities until the program ended in 2021.

On June 25, 2014, the Joint Staff Joint Force Development J-7 awarded the College of International Security Affairs at National Defense University authority to grant Joint Professional Military Education (JPME II) credit.

In recent years, the mission of CTFP -- now known as the Combating Terrorism and Irregular Warfare Fellowship Program -- shifted to focus on partner capacity-building in irregular warfare, in both operational and strategic levels, as opposed to its nascent focus on counterterrorism. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict provides policy oversight, while the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) provides program and financial management.

References

1. "Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies" Retrieved 2023-03-21.
2. "International Counterterrorism Fellows Retrieved 2023-02-09.

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