MoDA Strategic Advisor Course (SAC)

Not Evaluated

The goal of the course is to prepare candidates to advance U.S. security cooperation and institutional capacity-building objectives supporting U.S. strategic interests while serving as Department of Defense (DoD) advisors overseas. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to interact with their counterparts in ways that will lead to establishing meaningful relationships based on respect, empathy, and humility, which support US and Partner Nation efforts to bring about enduring change.

The course is structured to achieve a distinct set of objectives: Understand the purpose and role of a strategic ministerial advisor; Display effective cross-culture behaviors conducive to relationship-building; Demonstrate the use of analytical concepts and tools within vignettes and exercises; Develop habits and practices for effectively operating in a foreign, stressful, austere, and complex environment; Analyze personal and team performance in problem assessment and planning processes; Practice awareness skills to maintain personal safety and security; and, finally, Demonstrate a level of reflection and synthesis throughout training, and in a rigorous, immersive, Final Exercise. The course concentrates on three broad areas: Advising Fundamentals, Operational Readiness, and Advanced Advising. First, Advising Fundamentals, provides tools and skills to build relationships and engage in sustainable capacity building. While technical expertise is critical for advisors, by itself it will not prepare them to be capable advisors, as their effectiveness depends heavily on demonstrating competencies and attributes distinct from technical expertise. Topics include: Advising as Capacity Building, Guiding Principles, Skills for Effective Communication, and Negotiation for Advisors. Second, Operational Readiness, is designed to enable students to carry out advising missions safely and effective in challenging operational environments. This training has been certified for Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) equivalency, with is Department of State mandated training to prepare people to work overseas under Chief of Mission. Third, Advanced Advising, reinforces and provides greater understanding of Advising Fundamentals. Topics include: Advising in a Conflict Environment, Communication in High Stakes and High Stress Situations, Planning, Measuring Progress, Good Governance, and more.

Senior civilians, in the grade of General Schedule (GS) 13 through SES, as well as uniformed officers of equivalent rank, who have been selected to serve as strategic advisors worldwide.

SC-101 Introduction to Security Cooperation

None

3 Weeks ILT

The third phase of the Strategic Advisor Course culminates with a determination by the faculty whether the students have successfully completed the requirements to serve as an advisor. Students who successfully complete the Strategic Advisor Course continue with the next component of their training, which is MODA-502, the Country and Mission Study Course. This course is designed to prepare students to operate effectively in – and readily adapt to -- the regions and countries to which they will deploy. The common scenario created for the Strategic Advisor Course is generic; the Country and Mission Study Course provides specific, current information to enable students to understand the strategic context in which they will operate.

On completion the SAC is the only course which offers full certification as a strategic advisor, and with that certification DoS approved FACT equivalency. This course will be a prerequisite for the planned Masters course in SC advising.