Building Resilience to Strengthen Deterrence and Defense in Europe 

PASS is a graduate-level program in international security studies. This year’s guiding theme, or leitmotif, is “Building Resilience to Strengthen Deterrence and Defense in Europe.” PASS 2025 will focus on strategic competition and challenges for Europe. This requires bolstering comprehensive resilience (including national, institutional, societal, and individual) to strengthen deterrence and defense. 

This George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies program is an eight-week foundational course designed for early- to mid-career security professionals from around the globe with 5 to 15 years of professional experience, including civilian government officials, military (up to major/lieutenant colonel and equivalent) and security service members, academics, and other experts from civil society.

Participants, together with invited security practitioners and experts, will analyze the European security environment and evaluate the growing need for greater resilience across multiple domains to strengthen deterrence and defense in Europe and beyond. The program will consider global, transnational, and regional challenges and threats in Europe and other parts of the world, and the international security architecture established to enhance resilience against them.

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 and associated actions required in today’s complex and permanently changing security environment.
• Build a collegial network of rising security and defense professionals from different regions, cultures, and backgrounds.
• 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.

The course methodology used for PASS emphasizes active learning. It combines plenary presentations and panel discussions by subject matter experts from an array of backgrounds that allow for detailed elaboration and peer learning in small seminar groups facilitated by Marshall Center faculty. PASS electives 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 and will deliver brief presentations to their seminar and/or elective groups and lead a capstone in-house workshop. The Chatham House Rule governs all PASS program activities.  

A wide variety of social events complement the PASS academic program. These are designed to foster the development of lasting professional relationships among participants. These events may take place on weekends or in the evenings. 

PASS 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, the Marshall Center may waive the ECL and accept verification of English oral proficiency from an Embassy. For a limited number of participants, the Marshall Center will offer a 4-week Enhanced Learning English Course (ELEC) in advance of PASS to help participants reach the language requirement.