Program Calendar
The Africa Center is the pre-eminent Department of Defense institution for strategic security studies, research, and outreach in Africa. The Africa Center engages African partner states and institutions through rigorous academic and outreach programs that build strategic capacity and foster long-term, collaborative relationships. Download the FY2010 Program Calendar.
Africa Center Topical Outreach Program
Description
The Africa Center’s Community Chapter Topical Outreach Program initiative is a flexible, light-footprint approach to deepen Africa Center relationships with ACSS communities of interest (referred to as “Community Members” by ACSS), expand on efforts to reach non-traditional audiences in Africa, and expand on Africa Center presence on the continent in countries not visited through other ACSS programs. The ACSS Community Outreach and Public Affairs (COPA) directorate will travel to selected African countries to conduct topical programs for ACSS communities of interest. Content of topical programs focuses on U.S. policy and contemporary African security issues.
Audience
Past participants of ACSS programs, their invited guests, and invitees from American Embassies in the visited countries.
Concept Paper
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African Defense Attaché Program
New Class of Defense Attachés Receive Briefing at ACSS
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Washington, DC—Five new U.S. military attachés assigned to African countries visited the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) on Dec. 2, 2011. They will soon be deployed to Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ghana, and Nigeria.
ACSS staff and faculty briefed them on the Center’s mission, annual program plan and the well-established working relationships the center has cultivated with attachés already assigned to Africa. Attachés and Security Cooperation Officers are critical to the Center’s success in developing programming and assisting the center in coordinating participant participation and running our Africa based programs.
During the briefing, the ACSS deputy Director, Michael Garrison, welcomed the new attachés to the Center and expressed the center’s gratitude for the service to our nation and the support they will eventfully provide to the Africa Center. ACSS staff representing the departments of academic affairs, research, community affairs, and operations also informed the incoming attachés of past and existing ACSS alumni programs in their respective countries as well as possible opportunities to engage with ACSS alumni.
The Africa Center wishes these new attachés great success in their upcoming assignments and looks forward to working closely with them.
African Defense Attachés and Embassy Officials Attend Weeklong Seminar
Nine African defense attachés and six civilian officials holding security-related portfolios at embassies in Washington, D.C., attended the Africa Center for Strategic Studies-sponsored African Defense Attaché Seminar Nov. 16-20 at National Defense University.
The annual seminar acquaints newly-assigned African defense attachés and embassy personnel with the structures and workings of the U.S. Government and its security policies and programs pertaining to Africa.
Ambassador William M. Bellamy (ret.), the Africa Center’s Director, welcomed the participants and presented an overview of Center’s mission, goals, vision, and academic and outreach programs. He said he hoped the seminar would provide the participants with a better understanding of the intricacies of the U.S. Government.
Seminar participants included representatives from the: Embassy of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; Embassy of the Republic of Botswana; Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon; Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Embassy of the Gabonese Republic; Embassy of the Republic of Ghana; Embassy of the Republic of Kenya; Embassy of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Embassy of the Republic of Malawi; Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco; Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Embassy of the Republic of Senegal; Embassy of the Republic of South Africa; Embassy of the Republic of Uganda.
According to Brad Gutierrez, Ph.D., Academic Chair of Security Studies at the Africa Center and faculty lead for the seminar, as African defense attachés and embassy personnel begin their duties in the U.S., they face a broad range of governmental and non-governmental organizations, and a complex set of interactions that affect U.S. Government security policies and programs relating to Africa.
“An early familiarization with the U.S. Government and other organizations, and relationships within and among them,” Dr. Gutierrez said, “enables seminar participants to accomplish their duties more effectively and better articulate their countries’ interests and concerns to appropriate officials and organizations.
The seminar was conducted primarily through plenary and question-and-answer sessions with various experts and representatives from the U.S. Government, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations. Sessions included overviews of U.S. interests, policies, and programs in Africa; the role of the U.S. Congress in policy-making; and the roles that nongovernmental organizations and think tanks play in policy development. Other periods dealt with the Interagency process; security assistance mechanisms; and U.S.-U.N. roles, relations, and peacekeeping.
In addition to classroom activities, and to reinforce the concepts addressed during the seminar and broaden practical application, sessions about the Departments State and Defense coincided with field trips to these institutions to facilitate in-depth discussions about issues of interest to seminar participants and to introduce them to key personnel who address Africa-related issues.
At the Department of State, seminar participants discussed Africa policy issues with Laura Griesmer, Deputy Director of the Africa Bureau’s Office of Regional and Security Affairs; U.S. Army Colonel Mike Skardon, Military Advisor to the Africa Bureau; and Scott Fisher, Operations Advisor for the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Program. The participants then had an opportunity to meet with their respective Department of State country desk officers.
Ambassador Vicki Huddleston (ret.), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, welcomed the participants to the Pentagon. The first visit to the Pentagon for many of the participants, Ambassador Huddleston answered their questions about U.S. Africa Command and U.S. policy towards Africa. She also discussed the objective of providing African nations and regional organizations with an integrated Department coordination point to help address security and related needs.
African Defense Attaché Seminar
Description
This seminar is designed to acquaint African Defense Attachés and African embassy personnel with security portfolios who are newly assigned to the U.S., with the structures and workings of the U.S. government, and with U.S. security policies and programs pertaining to the African continent.Audience
Newly assigned African Defense Attachés and local African embassy personnel with security portfolios assigned to the Washington, D.C. area.News and Course Documents
2010 African Defense Attachés Briefed on U.S. Policy Priorities in Africa ( Published Dec. 8, 2010) 2009 African Defense Attachés and Embassy Officials Attend Weeklong Seminar (Published: Dec. 4, 2009) Photo Galleries Program Schedule (Nov. 2009) [PDF]Contact
After Action Report
Program Highlights
Program Schedule
Photos
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Concept Paper
African Union - Maritime Safety and Security
Description
Culminating African Union summit of MSS; enabling implementation of renewed nation-specific maritime security policies.
Audience
African officials and participants who are responsible for maritime-related portfolios, or have worked on maritime-related policies or programs joined by US Government and EU officials whose portfolios include cooperation with the AU on maritime issues.
Concept Paper
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Civil-Military Relations Workshop
Description
Develop democratic processes, rule of law, and good governance to ensure civil-military cooperation for human security.
Audience
Concept Paper
Contact
Colloquium on African Elections with National Democratic Institute
Description
Aims to examine the successes of Ghana’s recent successful electoral process. Combined with other recent African election experiences, the event will identify some best practices and lessons learned that could help mitigate violence surrounding upcoming elections and strengthen the legitimacy of these processes.
Audience
Senior military and civilian officials from around Africa; representatives from the African Union and other regional bodies; African media experts; and NGO representatives.
Concept Paper
Colloquim on African Elections [PDF]
Contact
Community Leadership Conference
Description
This conference will bring key Africa Center community members from one sub-region together to share insights on important security issues, discuss strategies to enhance security cooperation around the region, and help the Africa Center remain relevant to the wider security community in Africa. The conference will also provide a forum for chapter leaders to exchange ideas on and best practices for the Community Chapter Program and on how to improve the effectiveness of their programs.
Audience
Community Chapter leaders
Concept Paper
Community Leadership Conference [PDF]
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Counter Narcotics Trafficking in West Africa
Description
Highlight threats posed by drug smuggling and explore the impact on democratization, anti-corruption, development and public health efforts within West Africa.
Audience
Participants from West Africa;, the United States; Europe, notably France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom; and key international organizations.
Concept Paper
Counter Narcotics Trafficking in West Africa [PDF]
Contact
Counter-Terrorism Finance Workshop
Description
The workshop is the fourth in a series that will provide participants with updated information on trends and developments concerning terrorism in Africa, and build their capacity in areas critical to the implementation of the African Union (AU) Plan of Action on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.
Audience
African civilian and military officials from Eastern and Southern Africa.
Concept Paper
Contact
ECOWAS Strategic Training
Description
Annual transformative series addressing strategic issues to implement conflict prevention, good governance protocols, and mobilize resources to synchronize security sector reform.
Audience
Senior civilian and military officials from both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters and member states.
Concept Paper
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Introduction to African Security Issues
Description
This is an introductory-level seminar designed to provide a basic understanding of political, social, military, and economic aspects of security in Africa and to introduce major U.S. policies and programs regarding Africa.
Audience
U.S. government officials with little or no background in African security issues but who have duties/responsibilities relating to Africa.
News and Course Documents
Concept Paper (Oct. 2009) [PDF]
Contact
Managing Security Resources in Africa
Description
The seminar will provide a capacity-building opportunity for practitioners and policymakers responsible for resource management in Africa’s security sector.
Audience
Mid-level military and civilian officials with resource management responsibility from Southern African countries.
Concept Paper
Managing Security Resources in Africa [PDF]
Contact
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Maritime Safety and Security with Brenthurst
Description
Evaluate the multidimensional nature of maritime insecurity, assess implications, and develop collaborative strategic frameworks at the regional and sub-regional level to confront common threats.
Audience
African officials and participants who are responsible for maritime-related portfolios, or have worked on maritime-related policies or programs joined by US Government and EU officials whose portfolios include cooperation with the AU on maritime issues.
Concept Paper
Maritime Safety and Security with Brenthurst [PDF]
Contact
Next Generation of African Military Leaders Course
Description
This program is designed to provide the next generation of African military leaders with practical and effective tools they can draw upon to contribute to their nations’ security and development.
Audience
Mid-level military officers, primarily majors and lieutenant colonels, from across Africa with significant command or staff responsibilities and recognized leadership potential.
Concept Paper
Contact
Contact
Senior Leader Seminar
Description
The seminar is intended to focus on a comprehensive definition of security that reflects African realities and challenges by accounting for both human and traditional security concerns, provide participants with an understanding of the scope and nature of current and emerging security threats confronting Africa, and democratically addressing Africa’s future security challenges.
Audience
One military and one civilian official from each participating African country, as well as representatives from Europe, the United States, international and regional organizations, and civil society.
Concept Paper
Contact
Audio
Video
2008 Visionary Awards
Attack on Terror Target Sheds Light on Somalia’s Instability
Attack on Terror Target Sheds Light on Somalia’s Instability. Interview featuring Andre Le Sage. PBS NewsHour, orginally aired May 1, 2008. [Video] [Transcript]
Photo Galleries
TOPS Galleries
IASI Photo Galleries
Introduction to African Security Issues Seminar
View photos from other ACSS events
This is an introductory-level seminar designed to provide a basic understanding of political, social, military, and economic aspects of security in Africa and to introduce major U.S. policies and programs regarding Africa.
IASI 6-8 October, 2009:
Participants in the ACSS Introduction to Africa Security Issues Seminar - 6-8 October, 2009
SLS Photo Galleries
Recent Events Galleries
2009 Security Sector Engagement Photos
Click on a photo to enlarge it:
Discussing how to improve civilian-military cooperation to promote democratic governance and stability in West Africa are, from left, Michael E. Hess, Vice President for Development and Stability Operations at MPRI; Dr. Brad Gutierrez, Academic Chair of Security Studies at the Africa Center; Dave Peterson, Senior Director of the Africa Program of the National Endowment for Democracy, who moderated the program; and Colonel Birame Diop of the Partners Center in Dakar, Senegal.
- Mr. Hess addresses the definition of human security by illustrating the U.S. military’s role in development activities.
- Dr. Gutierrez urges the audience to remember to see the symmetry of traditional security and human security rather than seeing them as competitors in a zero-sum-game.
- Colonel Diop stresses the nature of security sector engagement on issues of human security and social development in Senegal.
View photos from other ACSS events
