International Programs Security course now available on line.

International Program Security Course Background

The Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored training in International Programs Security (IPS) has evolved significantly since the mid-1990s. The Office of the Secretary of Defense level responsibility rests with the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Technology Security Policy and Counter-Proliferation) National Disclosure Policy (ODUSD (TSP&CP) NDP), hereafter referred to as the NDP office. Training sponsored by this office is provided by a DoD contractor, which teaches courses at various military bases and contractor facilities throughout the country. The NDP office certifies the Defense Acquisition University's International Programs Security and Technology Transfer Course as a credited 1PS course.

By 1999, a number of developments led to widespread concern over international programs security. Most prominent were the findings of the House Select Committee on US National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, popularly known as the Cox Report after its chairman. The committee concluded that the People's Republic of China (PRC) had illegally acquired design information on the United States' most advanced weapons over a period of nearly two decades.

While this issue involved the Department of Energy, as opposed to the DoD, other developments led DoD to place more emphasis on IPS. In October, 1999, then Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre (see page 104 of this Journal for memorandum) issued a memorandum directing that all DoD employees participating in international programs receive formal IPS training. Shortly thereafter, the NDP office and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM) committed to incorporate IPS into its core courses starting in fiscal year 2000 and began teaching IPS courses in fiscal year 2001. In January 2003, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding, DISAM assumed full management of the commercial training contract and thus management of all IPSR courses. Course materials and policy-related issues relating to the course remain under the purview of ODUSD (TSP&CP) NDP.

In February, 2004, the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM) inaugurated its second distance learning course, the on-line version of the two-day International Programs Security Requirements Course (IPSR). Coded as IPSR-OL in the DISAM catalog, this course was designed to replicate, both in length and scope, the two-day IPSR course which is taught both in residence at DISAM and as on-site instruction on US government and industry facilities through out the world. The IPSR-OL course addresses the following topics:

* Course Introduction;

* International Programs Security Requirements (IPSR) Basics;

* Acquisition Process for International Programs Security;

* Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI),

* Foreign Government Information (FGI);

* NATO Information;

* National Disclosure Policy;

* Multilateral Regimes;

* Export Licenses;

* Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS);

* Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI);

* Role of the Defense Security Service (DSS);

* Multilateral Industrial Security Working Group (MISWG) Documents, and;

* Foreign Visits.

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 1010 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-101

22 October 1999

Subject: Training in International Security and Foreign Disclosure Support to International Programs

Strong allies, and well-equipped coalition partners, make America stronger. It is therefore in America's national security interest to promote cooperation with other nations, seek international participation in our weapons acquisition process and support appropriate foreign military sales.

At the same time, we must ensure that sensitive and classified U.S. technology and military capabilities are protected. Classified information should be shared with other nations only when there is a clearly defined advantage to the United States. Disclosures must be carefully designed to achieve their purpose and recipients must protect the information. To make certain that we accomplish these goals, certain security arrangements must be in place prior to any foreign participation in DoD programs. It is therefore vital that every DoD employee involved in international programs understand these security arrangements, as well as the laws, policies, and procedures that govern foreign involvement in our programs.

To insure that all relevant employees are fully trained in this area, the Office of the Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) for Policy Support (DTUSD(P)(PS) has developed a course of instruction that covers the practical application of relevant law, executive orders, and DoD policies on this subject. All DoD personnel responsible for negotiating, overseeing, managing, executing or otherwise participating in international activities shall successfully complete either the International Security Requirements Course offered by DTUSD(P)PS, the International Programs Security and Technology Transfer Course taught by the Defense Systems Management College, or an executive version of the course for mid-level and senior managers now being developed. This requirement applies to anyone who works in an office dealing exclusively with international matters in international cooperation offices within broader functional offices, and those working on international issues within a DoD program. Examples of applicable activities include: security assistance, cooperative research, foreign disclosure, specific country relationships, and other international policy activities.

The law also requires that we consider systems of allied nations, or the co-development of systems with allied nations, before a U.S.-only program may be initiated. Therefore the basic, intermediate, and advanced program manager courses at DSMC shall include at least four hours of training in international security requirements related to acquisition programs. Anyone working in program offices where any international activities occur, including exports, must also complete the full five day course. DoD personnel who are newly assigned to international programs shall participate in one of the courses within six months of the assignment.

To ensure consistency, DoD components that offer specialized training in foreign disclosure and security requirements for international programs shall coordinate the contents of their courses with the ODTUSD(P)PS.

//Signed// John J. Hamre

Role of Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management

Currently, DISAM's role in International Programs Security consists of:

* Instruct the 2-day IPSR course eight times annually, including six on-sites at Department of Defense or contractor locations.

* Manage the IPS contract to instruct both the 5-day and 2-day IPSR courses approximately 22 times a year.

* Incorporate IPSR instruction into DISAM's core security assistance curriculum, specifically the CONUS (SAM-C) and Overseas (SAM-O) courses.

* Develop and monitor the new IPSR-OL course as computer-based training.

The Distance Learning Environment

Although DISAM continues to offer resident and on-site instruction in International Programs Security (IPS), there are a number of advantages to the distance learning option.

* First, employees who find themselves in a new billet requiring IPS instruction can begin learning immediately, as opposed to waiting for the next available resident course.

* Students can learn at their own pace, such as by starting and stopping a lesson at their convenience, or playing a section more than once.

* Students can pursue the course from any computer with access to the internet, whether at work or at home, and at any hour of the day.

* Time and dollar savings for travel to/from the course.

Although IPSR-OL is not designed for direct interface between student and instructor, the student may contact an instructor or course manager at any time via e-mail to resolve an issue or answer a question.

Eligibility

As with the 2-day and 5-day resident IPSR courses, attendance in IPSR-OL is open to both US government officials and employees of US industry who are assigned to positions related to international affairs, including security assistance. U.S government employees include military and US civilian personnel and support contractor equivalents. In all cases students must be United States citizens. Regardless of which of the three courses a student elects to attend, IPS instruction is offered at no charge; the Department of Defense pays the bill for all costs, including student materials.

Registration Procedures and Accessing the Course

As with DISAM's other distance learning course (SAM-OC), students register for IPSR-OL through the DISAM web site, http://www.disam.dsca.mil/DistLearn/IPSR-OL.htm and follow the prompts under "Registration". Registration is always open, as each student progresses through the course at his own pace, not as part of a group. The course takes approximately sixteen hours to complete. It includes a timed, open book test and a course evaluation, both of which are taken after completion of all lessons. Students are required to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the test. Students may take the course during duty hours, or at home, depending on their supervisor's guidance and their personal preference. A thirty-day period of enrollment is allotted for each student and extensions must be approved by the course manager. IPSR-OL earns ten continuous learning points for members of the defense acquisition work force.

The course is hosted on the web site of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base http://disam.afit.edu. The content of the course is packaged in an electronic shell by Blackboard, a commercial company specializing in distance learning. As part of his initial registration procedure, a student creates his own account in Blackboard, identifying his own user name and password. After the DISAM registrar confirms receipt of the registration and student eligibility, the student is given the necessary permissions in Blackboard and notified by return email that he may begin studying. This process normally takes three to five business days.

Computer System Requirements

* A PC running Windows 95/98/ME with 64Mb RAM or Windows 2000/NT/XP with 128 Mb RAM (Macintosh and UNIX operating systems are not supported), or newer systems.

* A dial-up connection is not recommended because off insufficient bandwidth.

* A broadband internet connection [DSL, cable].

* A monitor capable of 800 X 600 resolution or better.

* Adobe Acrobat* Reader, latest version.

* Macromedia Flash Player* version 6 or higher.

* Links to free downloads are available within the course. Administrator privileges may be required to download this software for Windows NT4, Windows 2000, and Windows XP operating systems.

John M. Smilek is the International Programs Security Requirements (IPSR) Functional Coordinator at DISAM and manages all aspects of the program including the contractor provided course offerings. He is a veteran of twenty-four years in the US Air Force that include three assignments in international cooperative research and development. His civilian education includes an associate's degree in Industrial Technology and Bachelor of Science in Technical Education from the University of Akron and a Master of Science in Management from Webster University.