Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies

Established in 2000, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies is the preeminent U.S. Government institution for building relationships and understanding in the NESA region. The NESA Center supports the theater security cooperation effort of four Regional Combatant Commands: United States Central Command

United States Central Command

The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...

(USCENTCOM), United States Africa Command

United States Africa Command

The United States Africa Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Armed Forces, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations and military relations with 53 African nations – an area of responsibility covering all...

(USAFRICOM), United States European Command

United States European Command

The United States European Command is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel...

(USEUCOM), and United States Pacific Command

United States Pacific Command

The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...

(USPACOM)and is one of five regional centers that fall under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency , as part of the United States Department of Defense , provides financial and technical assistance, transfer of defense matériel, training and services to allies, and promotes military-to-military contacts....

. With its 21st Century security and academic focus, the NESA Center seeks to build on the strong multilateral relationships between the U.S government and its allies in the region; the Near East and South Asian regional governments and their armed forces, by focusing on broader multilateral approaches and capacity building to address regional security issues and concerns.

The Center employs Executive Education programs via both domestic and regional venues. These academic events include resident courses and outreach events such as Executive Seminars, and Combating Terrorism Workshops. Senior military and government decision-makers in security-related positions from throughout the region participate in NESA Center courses. The Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies is located near Fort Lesley J. McNair

Fort Lesley J. McNair

Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of a peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To its west is the Washington Channel, while the Anacostia River is on its south side...

inside the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

NESA Mission

To enhance security in the Near East and South Asia by building sustained, mutually beneficial relationships; fostering regional cooperation on security issues; and promoting effective communications and strategic capacity through free and candid interaction in an academic environment.

The NESA Center fosters open communication and educational opportunities for military and civilian representatives from the NESA region and other participating countries. Its academic environment uniquely facilitates a cross-cultural examination of the events, ideas, and challenges that shape this critical region.

The center's first regional office has been established in Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

, and the NESA Center has implemented new programs on countering ideological support for terrorism, increasing and improving strategic communication and outreach to the region and supporting other strategic goals.

Achieving the NESA Mission

The following activities lead to achieving the core mission of developing a well-informed community of leaders and decision makers:

Sponsoring foundational seminars, primarily in Washington, D.C.
Further establishment of the regional office in Bahrain.
Reaching a larger audience of strategic thinkers and adding depth via a robust program of local and in-region engagement activities
Sustaining interest and promoting growth through networked outreach and alumni activities.

Countries in the NESA Region

Senior Leadership

The Center’s senior leadership come to NESA after long and distinguished careers with institutions such as the Department of State and the United States Military. These individuals contribute their knowledge and experiences to the Center’s mission on a daily basis.

To view the NESA Center's Leadership webpage click here

Faculty

The NESA Center faculty represents a diverse assemblage of top-tier academics and expert practitioners from academia, diplomacy and defense. The NESA Center's faculty is composed of retired governmental, diplomatic and military leaders from the United States and the NESA region. Professors include men and women who have served as practitioners—ambassadors, government ministers, field- and flag-grade military officers, as well as traditional university faculty. The knowledge, experience and “whole of government” expertise of the NESA Center's faculty provide a deep pool of knowledge that gives its participants a focused and uniquely inclusive education that better enables them to engage in the myriad challenges facing the NESA region.

NESA Center Faculty Members

Click on the faculty names below to see the NESA website to learn more about the faculty members, including their biographies and suggested readings.

Reaching Out to a Global Audience

Strategic communications and outreach are key regional center priorities. The NESA Center established an Outreach Office to coordinate all communication with:

Points of contact in US embassies overseas and foreign embassies in Washington
Participants prior to and during programs
Alumni after they leave Washington seminars
US government stakeholders, both in Washington and overseas
The interagency strategic communications community
Media, both domestically and in the region

The NESA Center’s goal is to generate a dialogue that begins with the programs and continues after participants leave. They produce short, non-attributed executive summaries after seminars and trips. These reports, circulated on a limited basis to senior USG stakeholders, contain key/new facts or opinions gleaned from discussions with participants. The purpose of the summary is to help senior policymakers stay informed of views to which they would not otherwise be exposed. The executive summaries routinely generate responses from the 3- and 4-star-level.

In 2006, the NESA Center was the first regional center to hold a special Executive Seminar on Strategic Communication for more than 30 participants responsible for internal communications within their own respective governments. During their three-week seminar, they visited relevant sites such as the Defense Information School and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Strategic Communications is now integrated into the core programs.

For a complete schedule of upcoming NESA Center events, please click here

Domestic Programs

The NESA Center conducts various seminars on a near continuous basis year-round, examples of which are provided below. For a full description of NESA programs visit www.nesa-center.org:

Executive and Senior Executive Seminars
Combating Terrorism and Transnational Threats Seminar
Washington Seminar Series
Senior National Representatives Seminar
U.S., Pakistan and Afghanistan Programs
Embassy Orientation Program
Regional Network of Strategic Studies Center Dialogue
Strategic Communication Seminar

For more information about specific seminars, schedules, and information about how to register, please click here.

Other Regional Centers

NESA is one of five regional centers that fall under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

. The other centers include:

Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
The is a United States Department of Defense regional study, conference, and research center established in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States on September 4, 1995. The Center supports the United States Pacific Command theater security cooperation strategy of maintaining positive security...

Official Website
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies

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