Building Resilience in an Era of Disruption and Competition

PASS is a graduate-level program in international security studies. This year’s guiding theme, or leitmotif, is “Building Resilience in an Era of Disruption and Competition.” In particular, PASS 2025 will focus on strategic competition and the growing number of polycrises, requiring an increasing need for resilience. 

PASS is a nine-week foundational course designed for early- to mid-career security professionals from around the globe, with professional experience of 5 to 15 years, including civilian government officials, military (up to major/lieutenant colonel and equivalent) and security service members, academics, and other experts from civil society.

PASS participants, together with invited security practitioners and experts, will research and analyze the relationship between strategic competition and the growing need for greater resilience across the whole society, and the current security environment. The program will consider global, transnational, and regional challenges and threats in Europe and other parts of the world, and the international security architecture put in place to manage these challenges and threats.

PASS 2025 provides opportunities for analysis and applied learning about security-related issues through interactive expert presentations and panels, small-group seminars, field study trips, electives on a wide range of topics, simulations table-top exercises, and an in-house, participant-led workshop, and a short essay assignment.

The Program on Applied Security Studies aims to:

• Deliver a postgraduate-level course in security policy, defense affairs, and international relations that enables the participant to analyze, understand, and evaluate defense and security issues in today’s complex and permanently changing security environment. (“Educate”)
• Build a collegial network of rising security and defense professionals from different regions, cultures, and backgrounds. (“Engage”)
• Prepare participants to assume positions of greater responsibility in their respective sectors, governments, and military/security services, and to develop appropriate courses of action in order to serve as senior advisors and decision-makers in security and defense matters. (“Empower”)

The PASS course methodology emphasizes active learning. It combines plenary presentations and panels by subject matter experts from an array of backgrounds with discussions that allow for detailed elaboration and peer learning in small seminar groups facilitated by George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies (GCMC) faculty. PASS electives, meanwhile, offer small colloquium classes that delve, in-depth, into specific topics of interest related to the program’s leitmotif.  These elements are complemented by activities, simulations, tabletop exercises, and field study trips.  Participants also engage in independent study and research. They are responsible for writing a reflective essay, delivering brief presentations to their seminar groups, and conducting a capstone in-house workshop. All PASS program activities are governed by the Chatham House Rule.  

A wide variety of social events supplement the PASS academic program, in order to facilitate the development of lasting relationships among participants who are young security professionals with many decades of public service ahead of them. Some of these events might take place on a weekend or in the evening. One of the field study trips includes one weekend as well.

The PASS course is offered in English only and requires ECL 80+ or the equivalent level in ALCPT, NATO STANAG, TOEFL, CEFR, or university courses.  If ECL testing is not possible, GCMC can waive the ECL and accept verification of English oral proficiency from the Embassy. For a limited number of participants, GCMC will offer a 4-week Enhanced Learning English Course (ELEC) in advance of PASS to help participants reach the language requirement.