The Institute for Security Governance (ISG) is a component of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) situated within the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU).
JULY 2022 ISSUE
AROUND THE INSTITUTE
ISG All Hands On-Site in May 2022
The ISG Team, from far and wide, recently gathered for a three-day “All Hands” on-site meeting in Monterey, California and online. In addition to core training, important updates, and planning sessions, it was said by many that the on-site was an invaluable opportunity to connect with one another in one-on-ones and small groups, and to enjoy dynamic conversation around the important work that we all share. The ISG Team is brimming with intelligent, experienced, and hard-working people, and was reenergized by this gathering to forge ahead on ISG's important mission!
ISG WELCOMES
ON CAMPUS
DSCU President, Dr. Celeste Gventer Visits ISG HQ
We were honored to host Defense Security Cooperation University President Dr. Celeste Gventer at ISG HQ in Monterey earlier this week. As a DSCU outstation, it was incredibly impactful to hear directly from Dr. Gventer; to learn more about her vision for DSCU – and by extension – ISG; and to acquaint her more directly with the day-to-day work of the Institute and the motivated colleagues who make it all happen. Dr. Gventer elaborated on her vision for how she sees DSCU becoming a greater engine of knowledge creation and how to harness and expand what happens organically throughout the work of ISG.
ADVISING
ISG Supports Oman’s Ability to Plan for Natural Disaster/Crisis Response
The Institute of Security Governance inaugurated an Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) program in Oman in 2020 meant to strengthen the Partner’s ability to maintain border security and respond to local and regional threats to security. Recently, ISG conducted a multi-week workshop in Muscat for 75 people across the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and other Omani governmental ministries intended to develop the SAF’s operational planning capability. The workshop included a course on the joint planning process, combined with daily practical application using a disaster response planning scenario. Workshops like these provide the opportunity for Partner Nations to develop the capabilities to use a formalized planning process to address a myriad of threats. In this case, the scenario called for the SAF to respond to the landfall of a Category 1 cyclone in northeastern Oman similar to Cyclone Shaheen, which impacted Oman in September 2021.
Wade Evans, ISG’s Regional Program Lead for Oman, explained that the mix of civilian and military participants was vital to the success of this engagement. “The representation from across the government and military offered the group important insights on how a ‘whole of government’ response must draw on all of the country’s strengths and capabilities,” he emphasized.
John Norris, a subject matter expert on planning and operations, developed the scenario and courseware for the workshop. “My experience over the past 30 years helped me understand that there are times when a government must use all of its resources to respond to a serious threat, whether it’s an enemy attack or a natural event,” he explained.
Throughout the workshop, Norris made certain the participants understood that the military tools and principles used to develop an operational plan can be used by anyone. The scenario involved a concept called “Defense Support to Civil Authorities.” Dutch Remkes, the ISG Country Program Coordinator for Oman, explained that “in Oman, the Royal Omani Police (ROP) is the designated ‘lead agency’ when the country is under the threat of a cyclone; any use of the military is designed to support the lead agency, not to replace it.”
During the final week, participants conducted a “wargame” to test the tools and principles of the joint planning process. The participants were divided into three operational planning teams; each team was given a unique “course of action” to analyze and to test for feasibility. After determining that all three courses of action were valid and feasible, each course of action was tested in the wargame. A meteorologist provided realistic cyclone weather inputs while John Norris changed the situation to test each course of action. For example, surface winds of more than 50 knots would prevent helicopters from responding to search and rescue requirements; a reduction in wind or a change in the location of a rescue requirement would test the decision process of each course of action.
On the last day of the wargame, the participants compared all three courses of action against a pre-agreed set of criteria and briefed their recommended course to the ROP Commander, a role played by Dutch Remkes. He chose a “hybrid” course of action that implemented strengths from all the prescribed courses; this demonstrated the degree of flexibility available to a commander within the joint planning process, an important learning outcome of the workshop.
“It is exciting to work with our Omani partners toward better whole-of-government responses to crises and natural disasters,” said Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Zapf, Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation in Muscat, Oman. “I’m sure the efforts made now to educate and train personnel from the Sultan’s Armed Forces and civilian ministries will enable a speedy and effective response should Oman experience another natural disaster.”
The planning course was so well received by the SAF that they are looking to make this an enduring part of the curriculum in support of their joint transformation efforts.
STANDING OVATION
Michelle Cortez
Ms. Michelle Cortez has provided nearly a decade of dedicated service to the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) and its predecessors. Having recently been promoted to Team Lead of the Program Analysis Support Team, she brings to bear years of experience supporting civil-military relations, Institutional Capacity Building, and Security Cooperation work infused by her personal leadership style. In this new role leading the Analysis Team, Ms. Cortez looks forward to bringing greater adaptability and integration. “I have been with ISG and its previous iterations for almost a decade,” she recounts, “and I have witnessed how sharing information across teams and divisions and ‘rolling with the punches,’ is vital to facilitate integration across the organization.”
When asked what inspires her about her work at ISG, Ms. Cortez extolled the dedication of her colleagues across the Institute, and the work that ISG carries out. Ms. Cortez shared how she stays motivated by trying to always choose a positive attitude, no matter the obstacle. To Ms. Cortez, having a grounded and grateful mindset is key. From her perspective, it not only helps with getting tasks done, it also builds stronger relationships with others while doing so.
Ms. Cortez’s dedication and ability to rise to new challenges is truly admirable. This past year, she moved into the role of Senior Analyst and then into the role Team Lead soon after. All the while, Ms. Cortez was going through what she described as “the most difficult year of my life” due to her infant daughter’s two heart surgeries and numerous cardiac procedures. "Going through that with her made me realize many things, but especially what resilience truly is. I strive to be resilient like her, and this past year showed me more of what I am capable of, both personally and professionally.” Ms. Cortez’s colleagues admire her not simply because of her resilience, although she possesses it in spades, but also because of the kindness, humility, and steadfastness with which she conducts herself and her work on behalf of the Institute.
When asked what advice she would give someone starting or considering the next step in their career, her answer centered around kindness, saying that although kindness is at times equated with passivity or weakness, it can often be the more difficult choice that requires more strength. Ms. Cortez’s leadership, and her dedication to building healthy and collaborative teams, is an asset for ISG. Her ability to listen, learn, analyze, and innovate creates an environment where everyone on her team and those she encounters feel heard and valued for their contributions.
Prior to joining ISG as an Operations Coordinator in 2013, Ms. Cortez, worked at the Homeland Security Digital Library at the Naval Postgraduate School. The daughter of a Green Beret father and a Salvadoran mother, Ms. Cortez has always had an interest in foreign policy and international affairs. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, Seattle in Latin American Studies, and a master's degree from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in International Policy Studies. She is a native speaker of Spanish and has proficiency in Portuguese. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, their two kids, and their two pups.
RESOURCES
NEW PRIMER: Women, Peace, and Security Primer
ISG’s work with Partners and Allies is rooted in the imperative to enhance the effectiveness of their defense and security processes to meet shared security objectives. Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is a policy framework that recognizes women must be critical actors and provide meaningful participation in major national security and defense priorities at home and abroad. Learn more about how ISG is working to integrate WPS into all facets of its work.
FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS
Matthew King
Mr. Matthew (Matt) King served as an ISG Africa Regional Program Lead for Advising & Consulting from April 2019 to July 2022, responsible for several country projects in the Sahel. Prior to this role, he served as a Peace and Security functional lead, lecturer, and course director for the ISG’s Combating Terrorism Fellowship Program. Mr. King was first introduced to ISG in 2001, teaching and overseeing the operations, logistics, and administrative functions for the Combating Terrorism Fellowship Program, both for resident education courses and overseas mobile education training programs.
Mr. King joined ISG with an impressive background. He worked for several high-tech firms in which he managed and directed projects related to re-engineering production processes/production lines and automating inventory and accounting systems. He was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve for over twenty years. His assignments included operations staff at a light infantry battalion, assistant Inspector General at a regional readiness command, and Acting Chief of Special Personnel Actions at a reserve training division. He also taught critical thinking, symbolic logic, and ethics at the University of Kentucky for several years.
The people and the mission of ISG were initially what drew him to the Institute. “I have always been impressed with the breadth of experiences, the deep intelligence, and a willingness to share ideas that the people of ISG bring to any conversation that might cover anything from the latest terrorist attack, to the ethics and morality of autonomous weapon systems, to how to coach a youth soccer team.”
When asked about moments that stood out for him during his time at ISG, he recounted an experience in a souk in Yemen, where in one stall there was a tinsmith assembling a knife sheath – cutting edge 12th century technology – and in the very next stall was a merchant selling colorful plastic bowls that had been imported from China. To Mr. King, a modern supply chain was clearly evident, but what's more, the juxtaposition of those two stalls represented the potential tension between traditional cultures and modernity.
Appreciated for his generous spirit and for his passion for teaching and mentoring others, Mr. King noted that teaching and mentorship involve a) helping people to ask bigger and better questions, and b) assisting people to answer questions in unconventional and out-of-the-box ways. He leaves his colleagues with a pearl of wisdom and a sound recommendation before embarking on the next chapter of his life:
- When evaluating an implanted course of action, pay close attention to the resulting positive and negative unintended consequences that emerge. Failed experiments can be more useful than “successful” experiments that really, just confirms a bias.
- Noise cancelling headphones on international flights are not a luxury, they are a necessity!
A well-earned chapter of rest, relaxation, and community service is what’s next for Mr. King, including fly fishing on the small streams of central and eastern Oregon. He also hopes to find opportunities to teach an occasional course at the local community college, volunteer for county-level social services and non-profit agencies, and in general, looks forward to quality time with family.
At a recent farewell ceremony among ISG colleagues, Mr. King was awarded the DSCA Exceptional Career Civilian Service Award and was regaled with shared memories and expressions of gratitude for his time at ISG. ISG is grateful to Mr. Matthew King for his contributions to the mission and wishes him fair winds and following seas.
HQ UPDATES
Heron Spotting
The Heron is our organization’s unofficial mascot, roaming the ISG lawn looking for moles and nesting on nearby Lake Del Monte. Herons are also symbols of partnership, exploration, intelligence, guidance, determination, and transformation—all of which ISG embodies in the work we do.
Working with Us
ISG is hiring! Working with ISG brings you into a rich community of individuals striving to address emergent security challenges and grow global partnerships through Institutional Capacity Building. Check out the exciting opportunities to Join Our Team.
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