Research and Lessons Learned Institue
As Director for Research and Lessons Learned, Mr. Oweiss leads DSCU efforts to acquire, share, and
apply knowledge on security cooperation. He is responsible for informing the security cooperation (SC)
community through academic research, evidence-based analysis, and critical inquiry that advances the
field of SC and application of lessons learned.
Prior to joining DSCU in 2021, he championed SC reform efforts launched within the 2017 National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on institutional capacity building (ICB). Since 2016, he served as the
principal staff officer for DSCA’s former Building Partner Capacity Directorate on security cooperation
policy formulation, strategic initiatives, resource planning, congressional engagement, and continuous
improvement. Mr. Oweiss’ international relations career since 2000 spans across security and
development in various roles and capacities, primarily with the World Bank, the United Nations, the
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and DSCA. He served as a report writer and editor, an embedded
advisor to a ministry (Rwanda), an operations director for a DoD component, a country team member of
a U.S. Embassy (Senegal), and a senior program manager for global security cooperation policy and
programming. Mr. Oweiss championed the development and execution of a vision for planning,
prioritizing, and aligning ICB activities, reshaping how DoD justifies its ICB budget and activities to
Congress. Additionally, Mr. Oweiss helped conceptualize and launch the Department’s first-ever
Learning and Evaluation Agenda for Partnerships.
Mr. Oweiss has a MSc in Poverty Reduction and Development Management from the University of
Birmingham (UK), and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University with a Certificate in African
Studies. He is fluent in French, married to an international public health professional, and a proud
parent of two children.