The Global Center for Security Cooperation (GCSC) and Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) signed an historic Letter of Accord Jan. 30 making the nation's language provider for defense personnel the newest member of the Center's consortium of higher educational institutions. Penning their signatures to the agreement in a ceremony at GCSC's headquarters at the Naval Postgraduate School were Center Director retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert L. Ord III and Army Col. Sue Ann Sandusky, Commandant of DLIFLC and Commander of the Presidio of Monterey.
GCSC was created by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2006, under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, to centralize oversight and coordinate, integrate and deconflict the activities and capabilities of international education providers in the area of international security cooperation. The Center helps the member institutions share information, faculty and other resources in support of International Partner Education activities. DLIFLC is the acknowledged national leader in providing Department of Defense personnel with all aspects of culturally based foreign language education, training, evaluation and sustainment.
The purpose of the agreement was to establish a new, mutually supportive relationship between the two institutions, and to delineate their respective roles and responsibilities to ensure effective cooperation and collaboration.
With the formal signing, DLIFLC became the newest member of a consortium whose other members include the NPS School of International Graduate Studies (SIGS) Center for Civil-Military Relations, Department of National Security Affairs, Center for Homeland Defense and Security and Defense Resources Management Institute; DLIFLC's sister institute, the Defense Language Institute English Language Center; the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies; the Defense Institute for Medical Operations; the Joint Special Operations University; and the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management.
"Consortium members represent the leading edge in international partner education covering a wide spectrum of education providers and topics, from medical and legal operations to defense reform, resource management and civil-military operations – and, as of today, language education," GCSC Operations Director Warren Hoy said in kicking off the ceremony in the Center conference room in the west wing of Herrmann Hall. "Enhanced sharing of information, faculty and other resources among Consortium members improves the Defense Department's, and indeed the entire U.S. government's, ability to produce high-quality, up-to-date programs for our international partners and allies.
"The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center's membership adds a wealth of resources not available at other member schools," Hoy added. "In addition to its unique language capabilities, DLI has a vast wealth of cultural expertise and products that will be very helpful to other members as they prepare to travel overseas and present courses, workshops and seminars to other nations. Because all of DLI's foreign language education and training is culturally based, its lessons will be doubly useful for other Consortium members' faculty when they're preparing to travel overseas."
"I'm proud and honored to be here today to sign an agreement making DLI the 13th member of the Consortium," Sandusky told the audience. "We've been cooperating informally in security studies since the Center's creation, and we're happy that this informal relationship is now being formalized. We're very pleased to be part of the Consortium, which will enhance our ability to market our courses and materials to other countries."
"It's a great day for the Global Center for Security Cooperation, and to be here in Monterey," Ord said on taking the podium, and thanked Congressional District 17 Representative Sam Farr for attending and for his ongoing support for the Naval Postgraduate School.
"NPS and the Defense Language Institute are the crown jewels of higher education here on the Monterey peninsula, so it's a giant step forward for these two crown jewels to come together in this formal partnership," said Farr. "I feel privileged to be here, and I'm excited about the global security initiatives that will grow and extend out to the whole world as a result of this agreement signed here today. And this is very important because, before you can build capacity abroad, you have to build capacity at home. The future is in how we use our existing resources to build a much stronger base and capacity through mutual collaboration."
Sandusky also acknowledged Farr "for being an inspiration and directly responsible for our Global Language Online Support System, which we now have in dozens of languages, and growing." Farr has been a consistent supporter of Defense Security Cooperation programs dating back to the 1960s, when he served in the Peace Corps.
"We're all proud to be here today, and I'm especially proud of what you've accomplished," said NPS President Daniel Oliver in addressing the assembled Center and NPS leadership. "The addition of DLI is a milestone in the growth of the Center and will greatly add to its capabilities and positive impact on our allies and coalition partners around the world."
After the ceremony, Sandusky gave an example of the benefits she expects to see from the newly formalized partnership. "We're struggling to train our military linguists in Afghanistan," she noted, "and this larger collaborative process will make our courses and programs far more visible."
Consortium members have access to enhanced research and study activities; access to each other's facilities, faculty and networks supporting security cooperation activities; exchange information on planned activities; link to each other's websites; work jointly to develop new initiatives and programs, including seminars and conferences; exchange guest lecturers and facilitate each other's faculty serving as adjunct instructors. The Center will also activate a web link to and from DLIFLC and the Regional International Outreach (RIO) system.
Other GCSC consortium member benefits include access to common operating picture via web portals; large, consolidated information resources; facilitated communication with other providers; total asset visibility of supporting capabilities; linkages with nationally recognized educational institutions; enhanced access to educational and subject matter experts and archives of military after-action reports and lessons learned, and training and education events conducted by other Consortium members; and access to a curriculum review process ensuring that planned courses are both thorough and effective, with members kept up to date on proposed course curricula.