NS4257 Security Sector Assistance in an Era of Strategic Competition

NS4257, Security Sector Assistance in an Era of Strategic Competition, will give students the background and practical understanding needed to answer the question; how can policymakers and strategic leaders best use Security Sector Assistance (SSA) to meet evolving security threats? The course looks at themes in international relations and military theory and explores how SSA tools align with foundational theoretical approaches to national security policy. The course also examines the historical development of these tools to understand how the U.S. approach has evolved. From there, the course will clarify SSA’s role as a national security tool, including the programmatic and organizational guidelines that provide authority, funding, and direction to the interagency SSA enterprise; how SSA has, and can, address U.S. and Partner security objectives in each Combatant Command’s Area of Responsibility; and how current national security threats impact the United States’ use of SSA.

Prerequisite

None.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate comprehension of USG Security Assistance (SA) and Security Cooperation (SC) policy tools, their contributions toward National Security, and their context as an extension of U.S. strategy through the generation of an information paper designed to go to a senior officer.
• Through in-class discussion and written assignments demonstrate understanding of how SA and SC tools fit into International Relations theoretical frameworks.

• Through written information and analytical papers, demonstrate understanding of the U.S. Security Assistance and Cooperation Enterprise, its legislative foundations, and how it fits into broader U.S. foreign assistance programs.

• Through in-class briefings and written assignments articulate strategic approaches to Security Sector Assistance that capture current scholarship highlighting the challenges of the Principal-Agent problem.

• Demonstrate an understanding of ways to maximize USG Security Assistance and Cooperation instruments to minimize the dangerous effects of Strategic Competition by analyzing how SSA authorities are applied in various regions and countries.

• Apply understanding of how to synthesize USG Security Assistance and Cooperation tools to maximize strategic effect in specific regions by developing a Significant Security Cooperation Initiative proposal.