Comprehensive Security Cooperation
The Comprehensive Security Cooperation (CSC) course is a 5-week in-resident executive program offered three times a year for mid- level military, government and non- government professionals who intersect with the security sphere.
Fellows spend approximately three quarters of their time on complex, transdisciplinary and transboundary challenges, and about a quarter on specialty security content that deep-dives into a variety of priority areas.
The resulting cross-talk between security professionals from different security sectors fosters understanding and the development of significant relationships and networks.
In parallel with presentations, discussions, and exercises, Fellows assess security environments, identify disruptors, analyze threat systems, and probe governance issues while collaboratively building relationships and mutual understanding.
Throughout the course, Fellows seek to develop resilient solutions to real organizational and regional security issues. These complimentary processes enhance the capacity of regional allies, partners and others to comprehend and cooperatively address complex security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region thereby advancing the freedom, openness, stability, prosperity, and security of the Indo-Pacific region.
CSC aims to contribute to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific by:
- Educating: Deepening understanding and encouraging critical evaluation of complex security challenges.
- Connecting: Constructing a network of interdisciplinary practitioners in order to enhance international security cooperation.
- Empowering: Building individual potential and partner capacity to find innovative solutions to complex security challenges, employing a whole-of-society approach.
Critical thinking sessions emphasize the importance of objective, rigorous analysis, while introducing fellows to analytical tools to help them understand complex security challenges.
Geostrategic sessions explore the range of different security challenges, regional security architectures and geostrategic considerations within each geographic sub-region: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania. These sessions are complemented by an examination the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Security Challenges examined in detail on the course include, but are not limited to, economics and security; maritime security; counterterrorism and irregular warfare; environmental security; health security; media, misinformation and disinformation; and cybersecurity.
Capacity sessions seek to develop strategic-level understanding of such areas as statecraft; security sector governance; interagency cooperation; crisis management; and women, peace and security.
Exercises include strategic table-top exercises which aim to deepen understanding of strategic cooperation and competition between states.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a Course Certificate and Alumni Status.
Upon successful completion and implementation of your Project you will receive a Specialty Security Certificate in your Concentration area.
Concentrations
In addition to the core content, Fellows choose to select a specialty “Concentration” or focus area that is of particular interest or professional relevance to them, and can assist them with their Applied Learning Project. Concentrations are deep dives on specific security issues, which allow Fellows with mutual interests from different security sectors to work together on complex challenges.
Each iteration of CSC features a different combination of Concentrations, to include:
Maritime Security
Fellows explore the free and open Indo-Pacific concept with a focus on the maritime domain as they review traditional state-based and non-traditional transnational crime challenges, and avenues of mutual cooperation. Fellows gain an improved understanding of the global commons and the importance of sea control, maritime domain awareness, and upholding the rules-based international order. This Concentration enhances understanding of the maritime domain, enables Fellows to collaborate on improving maritime security, and benefits all security practitioners.
Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism
The IWCT Concentration is focused on strategic-level discussion of the non-warfighting aspects of irregular warfare and strategic competition, with an emphasis on comprehensive, whole-of-society responses to attempts by malign state and non-state actors to influence populations and challenge legitimacy. Fellows gain strategic understanding of contemporary terrorism, insurgency and irregular warfare threats, and critically assess different response options by sharing international experiences and best practices.
Cybersecurity
Fellows gain a non-technical, strategic-level, whole-of-society understanding of cybersecurity by exploring three dimensions: governance, resilience, and recovery. The aim of this Concentration is to provide security practitioners with the knowledge, resources, best practices, and networks to navigate the cybersecurity environment and to understand how cybersecurity affects national and international security. Topics include strategy, policy, international frameworks, incident response, cybercrime, privacy/security, and public-private partnerships.
Crisis Management
Practitioners from the fields of emergency management and humanitarian assistance; environmental security and climate change resilience; and public health, expand their knowledge of current models, frameworks, and resources to support complex, cooperative operations in both slow and sudden onset crises. With an emphasis on human security, Fellows use case studies, simulations, and exercises to explore prevention, mitigation, and resilience strategies, while growing their professional networks.
Economic Security
Fellows examine the impact of economic policies, trends, and actions on national security. Topics covered include trade agreements and sanctions, economic statecraft, and the digital and blue economies. Fellows in this Concentration examine how countries at all levels of development and sizes use economics not just for growth and development, but also to deepen alliances and commitments or as a means of geopolitical competition.
Strategic Studies
This Concentration provides advanced education for professionals in government, the media, and civil society organizations whose work involves the analysis of the strategic environment as well as the development of strategy and strategic responses for their organization. It will equip Fellows with fundamental knowledge and skills to be practical strategists who are able to develop strategies for their own mission and organization, assess national strategies with an eye towards the future. It tackles six broad themes: strategic thinking, strategic tools, strategic futures, strategic leadership, strategy in the digital age, and the strategy ecosystem.
Environmental Security
Fellows gain insights into the security impacts of current and projected environmental challenges. They will explore underlying science and data for climate change, pollution, and food/water/energy and other resource issues, and heighten their awareness of measured needed to mitigate and adapt to environmental threats. Fellows will furthermore develop understanding of how to advance, participate in, and lead evidence-based environmental security decision making.
Information Security
This concentration focuses on the centrality of information in the security architectures of nations and international affairs. Fellows will examine different types of media and principles of communication. They will further explore ways to improve understanding and practice of media literacy, strategies to mitigate misinformation and disinformation and the various elements – such as messengers, audiences, and communication challenges – of effective strategic messaging.
