Fifty Marshall Center graduates along with eight other border security officials met at the Marshall Center for a week at an Alumni Community of Interest Conference on Border Security. The participants from 26 nations were given the opportunity to share best practices, lessons learned and ideas for better cooperation, management and execution of border security in their nations.

Marshall Center Director Dr. John Rose hosted the conference, along with Professor Dr. Jack Clarke, and COI Mentor and Graduate Support Outreach Team Chief Mr. Rick Steinke.

The conference was divided into five panels with each panel followed by working groups designed to discuss the panel topics. Panels addressed the challenges associated with security national borders, border security training requirements, intergovernmental agency cooperation, international challenges and potential solutions, and border security technical issues. Speakers were mainly drawn from the expertise of the participants themselves as well as outside experts.

At the end of the conference the working groups presented their conclusions and gave recommendations. The attendees were encouraged to continue to share information beyond the conference itself as a community of interest, which was established through the graduate knowledge portal.

This conference was the fourth in a series of Marshall Center alumni-focused Community of Interest activities, with alumni conferences on peace keeping operations, counter-terrorism and stability operations being held in 2007.

Click to enlarge Marshall Center Director Dr. John Rose opens the conference.	Click to enlarge Dr. Jack Clarke gives an overview of the conference topic.	Click to enlarge Mr. Rick Steinke explains new initiatives and opportunities to graduates.
Click to enlarge One of the workshop facilitators, COL (ret.) Peter Schneider (right), chats with Mr. Alin Lungu (LPASS 2006-4), Romania.	Click to enlarge Graduate Support Specialist Mr. Joe Embler (right) catches up with COL Lkhagvasuren Amindavaa (EPASS 2005-6), Mongolia.	Click to enlarge Dr. Carlo Masala (at podium), Chair, International Relations, University of the Armed Forces, Munich, leads off the panel on the challenges of securing national borders.
Click to enlarge COL Valentyn Mazur (EP 2001-4), Ukraine, discusses border guard training requirements, as BG Ivars Zalitis (center, SES 2007-3), Latvia and Dr. Stojan Kuzev (SES 1998-4), Macedonia, prepare to add their viewpoints on border guard training.	Click to enlarge Dr. Jack Clarke (center) introduces the next panelists: (l to r) Ms. Eka Gigauri (SES 2007-3), Georgia; Mr. Paulo Nicolau (SES 2006-6), Portugal; and Mr. Iurie Renita (EP 1994-1), Moldova.	Click to enlarge (right) Dr. Rose greets Mr. Edward Bezman (LPASS 2007-4), Romania.
Click to enlarge Lt. Col. Valentyn Lazariev (LC 2002-3) looks over the photo display of previous alumni seminars.	Click to enlarge Marshall Center Professor Dr. Jack Treddenick leads the discussion during one of the workshop sessions.	Click to enlarge Marshall Center Professor Dr. Jay LeBeau facilitates the discussion of another workshop group.
Click to enlarge COL Abdul Qader Jouhari (left) and Mr. Safer Mohammed Safe (both 2006-K23), Afghanistan, pause for a photo during a break in workshop sessions.	Click to enlarge Marshall Center Professor Col. James Howcroft (left) takes the opportunity to meet with two of the Georgian participants, COL Koba Bochorishvili (center, LC 2002-6) and COL Manana Khvedelidze.	Click to enlarge A group photo with a difference: the Marshall Center’s well-known photographer, Mr. Karl-Heinz Wedhorn (far left), is caught on camera with the assembled participants.