About the Institute
Mission
Strengthen the institutional capacity of partners and allies’ security sectors to advance U.S. national policy interests and address shared security challenges.
Vision
Promote and advance American values, interests, and objectives through the development, integration, and advancement of the field and practice of Institutional Capacity Building.
ISG Overview
Established in April 2019, ISG is headquartered in Monterey, CA, co-located on Naval Support Activity Monterey, with personnel based at the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) campus in Arlington, VA, near geographic combatant commands, and at other locations throughout the United States. As a component of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), ISG is the Department of Defense’s leading implementer for Institutional Capacity Building and one of its primary international schoolhouses.
Our Foundation
Prior to 2019, ISG was known as the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR). Founded in 1994 as an academic center at the Naval Postgraduate School, CCMR was designed to strengthen civil-military relationships in democracies worldwide. Over its 25-year history, CCMR proved itself responsive to civil-military challenges and adaptive to the changing global security landscape. Alongside partner nations, CCMR engaged on complex issues such as defense transformation, stability and support operations, peacekeeping, combating terrorism, acquisition and resource management, maritime security, and defense governance and management.
In October 2024, the Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary. Learn more about the history of ISG and its predecessor organizations in “The Institute for Security Governance: A Look at Three Decades of Impact.”
