Program field trip to DC allows students first-hand access to democratic institutions
by Jason Tudor
GCMC Public Affairs
PASS students listen to members of various think
tank organizations discuss national security policy
during a forum at the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars. Susan Eisenhower,
granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
and others.
(DOD Photo by Jason Tudor)
WASHINGTON -- Tucked amidst the concrete maze that is Washington D.C., are several offices, agencies, and departments nicknamed "The Puzzle Palace." As the seat of government of the United States, the city as a whole could easily carry the same moniker, its dissimilar pieces sometimes difficult to navigate and understand, yet still forming one of the world's superpowers.
With those pieces in front of them, students attending the Program for Advanced Security Studies stepped off a nine-hour airplane ride and began the task of assembling a picture more complete. Their five-day pilgrimage from the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to the banks of the Potomac meant an opportunity to see a the puzzle pieces up close and understand where those pieces fit into the grand scheme of government.
Meanwhile, the field trip's 120 participants were also like pieces of a puzzle coming from locations like Kosovo, Latvia, Liberia, Moldova, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the United States and others. Prior to the trip, they spent their time in classrooms seeing security situations unfold on PowerPoint slides and from the mouths of professors. Coming here offered context and hands-on experience.
"Remember our purpose," reminded Dr. John P. Rose, Marshall Center director, "bring to you the United States of America, what it stands for and what we're attempting to do with your course of studies."
Making all the pieces fit
The week's schedule was ambitious: the Supreme Court, the State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Pentagon, and more. All told, better than a dozen bus rides through DC traffic meeting a schedule that included lengthy questions and answers from the course participants.
Dr. Andrew Michta, a professor for the Marshall Center and one of the leaders on the trip, said the sort of perspective students gained from attending the program and making the DC field trip is beneficial, especially as it applied to national security policy making.
"You will be given an opportunity today that very few Americans will have in their lifetime," Dr. Michta said as the week began.
First to field questions and provide the judicial piece of the puzzle: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Scalia had spoken to a half-dozen Marshall Center groups before this one. Speaking for about 20 minutes, Justice Scalia also discussed interpreting the US Constitution, how the Supreme Court selects cases, was asked what problems he sees in America's courts and asked who monitors the court.
"What makes the American system distinctive is that it disperses power," Justice Scalia said. "At the federal and state level, it is very difficult for any one person to have power."
Off to the Pentagon
When court adjourned, students boarded the bus for the Pentagon Conference Center. Defense Department speakers highlighted the military piece of the puzzle, including Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. Secretary Donley provided an overview of the Air Force and fielded questions about his team.
However, it was remarks by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal that drew the most attention. Although General McChrystal spoke to participants as the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he found out that morning he'd be the new commander of military forces in Afghanistan.
"The only way to have success in Afghanistan and Pakistan is to have success in both," General McChrystal said. "Our core message is a renewed commitment to the goal of limiting the ability of Al Qaeda to act."
Afghani student Mohammad Naser Yousafzay also listened. Yousafzay, country adviser to NATO senior civilian representative of the International Security Assistance Force, said these opportunities are few and far between for members of his country.
"The important message here is about democracy -- how they interact and how they share their formal lives and their informal lives," Mr. Yousafzay said.
More pieces fall into place
The big picture continued to unfold as more pieces fell into place: Three Pentagon-based reporters from ABC television, the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal offered their opinions on interaction between the media and he military at the National Press Club; think tank experts at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; three Congressional representatives offering views on elections to the new administration; a briefing from the Coast Guard and a chance to tinker with nuclear, biological and chemical detection equipment.
The visit to Congress piqued the interest of Lt. Cosmin Gabriel Alexa Iovanel of Romania. The intelligence officer said the three Congressmen offered new perspective on he viewed the political process.
"This is very important to me and I can see how it would be very important to others in our group," he said. "I am glad we had this opportunity to interact with them."
Retired German Maj. Gen. Justus Graebner, Marshall Center German deputy director, has visited his own country's capitol five times but hadn't seen DC in 25 years. He applauded the week's effort, saying the visit also allowed him to gain new perspective on the American democratic process.
"The impression in Europe is that the executive power dominates the system, checks and balances aside. I gained a feeling of American identity and that's very important to Americans," he said. "That is something that is different for Germans."
Program director Navy Capt. Dean Dwigans called the trip "one of the best he's ever attended." The PASS executive director said that while traversing the concrete maze of the nation's puzzle palace, he believed each attendee found something that made sense for him or her.
"On this trip the participants were able to question, criticize and express comments directly to senior policy makers and ground level practioners alike," Captain Dwigans said. "They enjoyed access to a wide variety of institutions in a short amount of time that many Americans don't easily obtain. That is the beauty of the Washington Field Study Trip. There was something for everyone."
