Dean L. Dwigans, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies’ deputy director and chief of operations for Non-Resident Programs, explains Counterterrorism and the Law to 75 participants from 51 countries attending the Program in
Terrorism and Security Studies July 27 at the Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. For more photos of PTSS 15-7, visit the Marshall Center Photo Gallery. (Marshall Center photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amanda Moncada)

GCMC Public Affairs Staff Report

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (July 27, 2015) – Dean L. Dwigans, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies’ deputy director and chief of operations for Non-Resident Programs, explains Counterterrorism and the Law to 75 participants from 51 countries attending the Program in Terrorism and Security Studies July 27 at the Marshall Center here.

In his presentation, Dwigans described the difference between the armed conflict and law enforcement legal approaches to combating terrorism. He also identified the main international legal controversies and some of the tools, methods and international law that facilitate international law enforcement cooperation in combating terrorism.

As the Deputy Director and Chief of Operations for Non-Resident Programs, Dwigans  oversees the three Outreach Teams for the regions of Central Asia, Central and Southeast Europe, and Black Sea Eurasia, as well as the Alumni Team.  The Outreach teams conduct approximately 35 events annually in their regions and in Garmisch, and the Alumni team conducts more than 40 events for the more than 10,500 alumni who have attended one of the Marshall Center’s resident programs. The Alumni team is also responsible for GlobalNET, the digital portal serving all alumni and current resident course participants. 

In addition, Dwigans lectures on international law in the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies. 

From 2010 to 2015, Dwigans was the director of alumni programs for the Marshall Center, and from 2007 to 2010, he was the Judge Advocate General of the Navy Chair in International Law, professor of international law and director of the Program in Advanced Security Studies at the Marshall Center.

Dwigans retired as a captain from the U.S. Navy in 2010 after a 25-year career as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His assignments included legal, staff and operational billets in California, Florida, Hawaii, Washington state and Washington D.C. as well as Germany, Italy, and Japan. He served 13 of his 25 years of service overseas.

Past assignments include commanding officer of the Navy’s largest legal command covering the area from Hawaii to India, senior legal advisor to U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Submarine Group SEVEN, Navy Support Office La Maddalena, USS Independence (CV 62) for two deployments, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Navy Region Northwest, and Navy Region Hawaii, and many years as a criminal prosecutor. In addition, he was assigned as senior Navy counsel to the general counsel’s office at the National Security Agency.

PTSS 15-7 participants hail from: Afghanistan; Albania; Armenia; Bangladesh; Belize; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Cameroon; Costa Rica; Croatia; Czech Republic; Dominican Republic; Egypt; Estonia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Kenya; Kosovo; Kyrgyzstan;  Latvia; Macedonia; Malaysia; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Moldova; Morocco; Nigeria; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Romania; Rwanda; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; South Africa; South Korea; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Tunisia; Uganda; United States; and, Uzbekistan.

The PTSS course addresses numerous aspects of a threat that confronts nations around the globe.

The four-week course is designed for government officials, military officers and police administrators currently working in mid- and upper- level management positions of counterterrorism organizations throughout the world.

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.