History
To meet the requirements of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Secretary of Defense directed DSCA to establish the Security Cooperation Workforce Development Program and lead the Department’s education, training, and certification program per 10 USC §384. In September 2019, DSCA established DSCU and added the School of Security Cooperation Studies (SSCS) as a DSCU component to support the DSCA requirement to train, certify, and provide for the long-term development of the Security Cooperation workforce at home and abroad.
DSCU’s role was further expanded in April 2021 when the Institute for Security Governance (ISG), Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS), and other international training and education programs were brought under its umbrella, thus broadening the scope of the University to include program implementation. In FY2023, in response to the National Defense Strategy Implementation plan, DSCU established the foundation of the Defense Security Cooperation Service (DSCS); developed the Research, Analysis, and Lessons Learned Institute; and launched Security Cooperation Certification 2.0. It also established the College of Strategic Security Cooperation and welcomed the Defense Resources Management Institute (DRMI) as the fifth DSCU component.
Section 1204 of the FY 2024 NDAA provided critical updates to 10 USC §384, including enshrining DSCU in law. Further, it mandated important refinements to the way the Department organizes, manages, and educates the SC Workforce. Among these reforms was the formal establishment of the DSCS and a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Center of Excellence, as well as the development of a Human Capital Initiative to meet the needs of the workforce and a grants framework to enable research in the realm of Security Cooperation. In response to this landmark legislation, DSCU is refining the training and education of the Security Cooperation Workforce; transforming the way personnel performing Security Cooperation duties in U.S. embassies worldwide are organized and managed; and building robust scholarship and lessons learned capabilities to inform the theory and practice of Security Cooperation. Additionally, DSCU is now charged with the management and implementation of international military training and education Security Cooperation programs and authorities executed by the DOD; management and provision of Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) services executed by the DOD; and advancement of the profession of Security Cooperation through research, data collection, analysis, publication, and learning.
Partnerships
Defense Acquisition University (DAU)
DAU is a modern learning platform delivering continuous learning and support tailored to the needs of the Defense Acquisition Workforce. Everything we do at DAU is for you, the acquisition professional — including formal courses in-person and online, events and workshops, job support tools, consulting and more. As your learning partner, we will be with you in the classroom, online, and in your workplace — whenever and wherever you need us. All of our learning assets are meant to help you develop and manage acquisition programs, projects, and systems that continue to make our nation's warfighters the best-equipped armed forces in the world.
Seal Symbolism
The shield, swords, and grid-lined globe are derived from the seal of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Defense Security Cooperation University’s parent agency. These elements represent DSCA’s motto, “SECURITY THROUGH GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS.” The two swords come together to represent strength through Cooperation among the Department of Defense’s academic institutions.
These institutions provide a robust learning environment to address the core needs of a professional Security Cooperation workforce. The lamp of knowledge, with its eternal flame, symbolizes the enduring value of the pursuit of knowledge while the laurel wreath signifies triumph in the achievement of academic excellence.
