Posted on: 6/29/2023
NEWPORT, R. I. – The Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS) celebrated the distinguished career of Captain Ian S. Wexler, Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC), United States Navy (USN), during a retirement ceremony on Naval Station Newport June 23, 2023. Dr. Celeste W. Gventer, President of the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU), presided over the ceremony, honoring CAPT Wexler’s nearly 25 years of exemplary service to the Nation, on behalf of the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). CAPT Shane Cooper, JAGC, USN (ret.) served as the guest speaker.
During the ceremony, Dr. Gventer, CAPT Cooper and those in attendance thanked CAPT Wexler for his dedicated service to the Nation and wished him Fair Winds and Following Seas in his retirement.
CAPT Wexler, a graduate of Rutgers University and the University of Richmond Law School, served for four years as the 13th Director of the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS). Under CAPT Wexler’s leadership, DIILS continued to thrive through a highly dynamic period, sustaining global mission execution during the substantial constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among many other changes, he guided DIILS through significant growth and transition, including adding Legal Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) as a major mission element, significant staff growth to meet the expanded demand for DIILS security cooperation programs, integration into DSCU, and the start of renovation of the DIILS Education Center.
A native of Highland Park, New Jersey, CAPT Wexler started his naval career in 1997, when he was commissioned in the Navy JAGC Student Program. He completed US Navy Officer Indoctrination School in 1998 and Initial Naval Justice School Judge Advocate Training in 1999. His subsequent shore assignments include: Prosecutor, Trial Service Office West in San Diego, California; Staff Judge Advocate and Special Assistant United States Attorney at Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, New Jersey; Instructor and Military Justice Department Head at Naval Justice School, Newport, Rhode Island; Senior Prosecutor, Navy Region Commander Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Chief of Operational Law at US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
CAPT Wexler also completed three overseas deployments during his career. He first deployed as the Executive Officer of the Military Liaison Office assigned to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. On his second Iraq deployment, CAPT Wexler was detailed as the Director of the Law and Order Task Force primarily based at Forward Operating Base Shield in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. Finally, CAPT Wexler deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as the Staff Judge Advocate for Joint Task Force – Guantanamo.
DSCA’s mission is to advance U.S. defense and foreign policy interests by building the capacity of foreign partners in order to encourage and enable allies and partners to respond to shared challenges. DSCU is one of five directorates reporting to the Director of DSCA. DSCU’s mission is to advance the knowledge and practice of Security Cooperation through the education, training, and development of the U.S. Security Cooperation workforce and through the education, training, and institutional capacity building of partner nations; and to produce research, analysis, and lessons learned that expand the intellectual foundations of Security Cooperation.
Since its inception in 1992 as the international training detachment at the Naval Justice School, and subsequent transfers to DSCA in 2000, and DSCU in 2021, DIILS has provided legal Security Cooperation programming for more than 78,000 international military and civilian participants from more than 180 countries. DIILS is jointly staffed with Judge Advocates from each branch of the U.S. armed forces, as well as a cadre of experienced Department of Defense civilian attorneys and support personnel.