By Christine June
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (June 12, 2015) – The Seminar on Transnational Civil Security begins June 12, and July 1 at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

Currently, STACS 15-06 will have 55 participants from 35 countries.

Participants are coming from: Bangladesh; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Colombia; Czech Republic; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Egypt; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Guatemala; Guyana; India; Indonesia; Jordan; Kenya; Lebanon; Liberia; Macedonia; Moldova; Morocco; Nigeria; Pakistan; Philippines; Romania; Sierra Leone; South Korea; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; Uganda; Ukraine: United States; Uruguay; and, Uzbekistan.

The three-week seminar examines best practices for ensuring civil security and preventing, preparing for and managing the consequences of domestic and regional crises and disasters.

Today, the participants will be welcomed by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, Marshall Center director, and Dr. Robert Brannon, the dean of the College of International Security Studies at the Marshall Center.

Next will be a course overview by STACS Program Director Dr. Graeme Herd, and then, participants will attend their first working group seminars.

This course is designed for military officers and government officials responsible for civil security policies and programs, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations with civil security responsibilities.

Focus of STACS is to provide a critical professional development opportunity in the emerging field of civil security, focusing on the development of core knowledge and skills. By developing common grounds of knowledge, core skills and contacts, STACS improves participants’ ability not only to address domestic civil security issues but also to operate regionally and internationally.

The STACS curriculum, which consists of lectures, seminars, case studies and field studies, is designed to emphasize and enhance the essential skills of the civil security professional, including communication, collaboration, planning, critical thinking, strategic leadership and crisis and risk management skills.

The mission of the Marshall Center, as a vital instrument of German-American cooperation, is to create a more stable security environment by advancing democratic institutions and relationships; promoting active, peaceful, whole-of-government approaches to address transnational and regional security challenges; and creating and enhancing enduring partnerships worldwide.

The Marshall Center offers eight resident programs that examine complex transnational, regional and international security issues: Program on Terrorism and Security Studies; Program on Applied Security Studies; Program on Security Sector Capacity Building; Seminar on Regional Security; Seminar on Transnational Civil Security; Countering Narcotics and Illicit Trafficking; Program on Cyber Security Studies; and, Senior Executive Seminar.

For those who are interested in attending a Marshall Center resident program, call the Registrar's Office at +49 (0)8821-750- 2656/2530/2327 or 314-4402-656/530/327, or email registrar [at] marshallcenter.org.