George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ylevardi (talk | contribs) at 13:06, 30 March 2009. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies
Marshall Center Logo
Agency overview
Formed1993
JurisdictionGovernment of Germany, United States Government
HeadquartersGernackerstrasse 2, 82467 Garmisch Partenkirchen
Employees250 (2008)
Agency executive
Parent agencyDepartment of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, German Defense Ministry
WebsiteMarshall Center[1]

The Marshall Center is a unique U.S. Department of Defense and German Ministry of Defense security and defense studies institute. Since its dedication in 1993, its mission has been to create a more stable security environment by advancing democratic institutions and relationships, especially in the field of defense; promoting active, peaceful, security cooperation; and enhancing enduring partnerships among the nations of North America, Europe, and Eurasia. The Marshall Center offers graduate-level resident programs as well as conferences and other outreach programs to military and civilian government officials from Europe, Eurasia, North America and beyond. Its international faculty consists of 35 faculty members from 10 countries — the United States and Germany, as well as Austria, Canada, Croatia, France, Italy,Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The Marshall Center’s College of International and Strategic Studies offers five resident courses that examine national, regional and international security issues. Each course is held two or three times a year.

The Marshall Center shares a common boundary with the Armed Forces Recreation Center's Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, a U.S. Department of Defense owned luxury hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Located in the Bavarian Alps near the Austrian border, the facility opened in September 2004 at a cost of $80 million and is colocated at the George C. Marshall Center. Both the Marshall Center and the Edelweiss are supported by the U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch, which falls under Army Installation Management Command-Europe.

Background

Named after George C. Marshall, and after the failed August 1991 coup attempt in Russia, defense specialists identified the need for an institution such as the Marshall Center. The U. S. European Command (EUCOM) began to develop proposals to expand defense and security contacts with the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia in order to positively influence the development of security structures appropriate for democratic states. In February 1992, a proposal was submitted to then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell to use the facilities of the former U.S. Army Russian Institute (USARI) to create a European center for security studies in order to rapidly develop opportunities to work with European and Eurasian defense establishments. He endorsed the plan on March 17, 1992. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Paul Wolfowitz approved the proposal that summer, and the staffs began developing a charter for the proposed center.

Former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney signed DOD Directive 5200.34 [1] in November 1992, establishing the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies as an element of EUCOM under the authority, direction and control of the commander-in-chief, EUCOM. The Marshall Center became a German-American partnership when a memorandum of agreement was signed on December 2, 1994, between headquarters EUCOM and the German Ministry of Defense.

EUCOM Commander in Chief Gen. John M. Shalikashvili hosted the June 5, 1993 ceremony officially dedicating the Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The center was given the charter of stabilizing and thereby strengthening post-Cold War Europe. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and German Minister of Defense Volker Rühe were the keynote speakers.

The facilities of the Marshall Center encompass both the Sheridan and Krafft von Dellmensingen Kasernes. Sheridan Kaserne, originally named Jaeger Kaserne, was built in 1937 to house German military (Wehrmacht) troops. The U.S. Army first used the installation in 1945 as a prisoner-of-war camp for officers. The headquarters of the First Mountain Division of the new German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) was located on the Kasernes from 1960 to 1992. The installation became home to the Garmisch U.S. military community, the headquarters of the Armed Forces Recreation Center and the former USARI in May 1964. In June 1992, the facilities transferred to the newly formed George C. Marshall Center.

On June 11, 2003, the Marshall Center celebrated its 10th anniversary. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and German Minister of Defense Dr. Peter Struck were the keynote speakers. Nine other ministers of defense from the region also attended the festivities.

Since its dedication, the Marshall Center has addressed the most important security issues confronting Europe, Eurasia and North America through its resident and outreach programs. In keeping abreast of 21st century security challenges, the Marshall Center has continued to expand its offerings, adding three new resident courses since 2004 and focusing on the need for international, interagency and interdisciplinary cooperation in addressing those challenges.

Program in Advanced Security Studies (PASS)

The PASS is the Marshall Center’s flagship resident program. This 12-week course of study for civilian government officials and military officers provides graduate-level education in security policy, defense affairs, international relations and related topics, such as international law and counterterrorism. PASS consists of core studies and electives, which include assigned readings, seminar discussions, panels and role-playing exercises, and concludes with a one-week field study that allows participants to see how theoretical knowledge is applied in the political arena. Program on Terrorism and Security Studies (PTSS): PTSS addresses numerous aspects of a threat that confronts nations around the globe. This five-week course is designed for government officials, police and military officers currently employed in mid- and upperlevel management of counterterrorism organizations throughout the world. The course focuses on methods to help a state effectively combat terrorism but still adhere to the fundamental values of a democratic society. Participants develop a common understanding of the definition of terrorism and establish contacts that help them approach this complex problem in an international environment.

Senior Executive Seminar (SES)

The SES is an intensive eight-day program that offers policymakers a forum for exploring a current international security issue in depth. Participants include general officers, senior diplomats, ambassadors, ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentarians. Each SES focuses on a specific issue and includes formal presentations by senior officials and recognized experts, followed by discussions in seminar groups.

Seminar on Transatlantic Civil Security (STACS)

The STACS provides civil security professionals from Europe, Eurasia and North America an in-depth look at how nations can effectively address domestic security issues that have regional and international impact. The three-week seminar examines best practices for ensuring civil security and preventing, preparing for and managing the consequences of domestic and regional crises and disasters. STACS is offered for military officers and government officials responsible for civil security policies and programs, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations with civil security responsibilities.

Program for Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTAR)

The SSTAR addresses both why and when stability, security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR)operations are required in the global security environment and how a nation can participate productively. This three-week course is for mid-career military and civilian officials (lieutenant colonel, colonel or the civilian equivalent) who are working in a government position that deals with the planning or execution of SSTR operations. It is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills participants need to be able to advise on their nation’s contributions to current and potential multinational SSTR operations The Marshall Center also offers specialized language courses, the Security Studies Language Program and the Combating Terrorism Language Program, in conjunction with PASS and PTSS.

Outreach Programs

Through its Outreach Programs Directorate, the Marshall Center is able to extend programs on critical security and defense issues to the widest possible audiences within partner nations, including those who may not be able to attend resident courses in Garmisch Partenkrichen, and respond to requests for special focused events. In coordination with the College of International and Security Studies, the Outreach Programs Directorate plans, develops and conducts more than 100 outreach activities a year.

Conferences and Workshops: The Marshall Center organizes approximately 20 conferences and workshops per year. These events, typically three to four working days in length, allow for focused sharing of information and viewpoints among experts and policymakers, leading to a summary report with concrete policy recommendations. Conferences and workshops are conducted in single nation or multinational regional formats either in Germany or at a location in a participating country.

Regional Education Team Seminars: Teams of Marshall Center faculty routinely conduct customized Regional Education Team Seminars (RETS) throughout the world, bringing Marshall Center expertise directly to partner nations in tailored, compressed form. RETS typically are five-day packages of detailed, interactive instruction for audiences of 20-50 officials on requested topics of interest. Currently available packages include Terrorism; Stability, Security, Transformation and Reconstruction; NATO; Euro-Atlantic Security; and Defense Institution Building.

Speakers Bureau: Marshall Center faculty are available to speak on a wide range of contemporary security issues, such as regional security, peace and stability operations, border security, combating organized crime and corruption, intelligence, international law, and defense transformation. Speakers are available to give presentations in English, German, Russian and several other regional languages.

Notable alumni

As part of its continuing engagement with alumni, the Marshall Center offers support for alumni-led activities, such as security cooperation roundtables, which provide an opportunity for security professionals to discuss important security issues in an inter-ministerial forum. Distinguished Alumni: As of March 2009, 199 graduates of Marshall Center resident programs are serving in the following positions: Speaker of Parliament 1 Minister 11 Deputy Minister 28 Chief of Defense 9 Ambassador 94 Member of Parliament 56

Publications

Marshall Center Occasional Papers:

  • Carsten Bockstette: Jihadist Terrorist Use of Strategic Communication Management Techniques, Marshall Center Occasional Paper # 20, Dezember 2008, ISSN 1863-6039
  • Mark G. Czelusta: Business as Usual: An Assessment of Donald Rumsfelds's Transformation Vision and Transformation's Prospects for the Future, Marshall Center Occasional Paper # 18, June 2008, ISSN 1863-6039
  • Olaf Theiler: Swword or Ploughshare? New Roles for NATO and the Changing Nature of Transatlantic Relations, Marshall Center Occasional Paper # 17, February 2008, ISSN 1863-6039
  • Markus Gauster: Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan, Marshall Center Occasional Paper # 16, January 2008, ISSN 1863-6039

See also

References

  1. ^ DoD Directive 5200.34 http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/520041p.pdf

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_C._Marshall_Center_for_European_Security_Studies&oldid=280639713"