Program Audience

• The National Security Policy Program is designed for government and intelligence professionals seeking to upgrade their skills to a senior executive level. The program focuses on strategic security policy analysis, design, planning and implementation

• The audience of the program includes intelligence and national security practitioners, security policy advisors, politicians, legislators, national security agencies, law enforcement (the police and FBI), senior investigative journalists, senior human rights activists, and government lawyers

• Note: This program focuses on strategic national intelligence and security management issues. It is not designed for new recruits and does not cover intelligence tradecraft or basic training on security tools. The program is designed as an advanced training for government professionals; we do not accept students seeking initial employment, postsecondary education, or initial licensing programs.

Program Objectives

The National Security Policy Program is set within the context of global PESTELA (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and administrative) risk-management framework. The key objectives include the following:

• Provide 360-degree view of the national security policy management function to integrate and align public policy and governance frameworks with national leadership vision
• Examine national security in a global context, including the international balance of power between major power players (including the US, EU, Russia, and China), the interests and influence of the players and potential scenarios for future developments
• Review security governance leadership frameworks, best practices, decision-making models and analysis tools
• Offer experiential analysis of the security challenges of public leaders and their government executives in leading and transforming their nations and organizations
• Identify potential national governance blind spots and reform areas
• Share public policy management insights from the world's most successful government leaders
• Share ideas, strategies and tools to plan, design and manage national security initiatives
• Create a work-based project to help candidates in developing strategic initiatives based on their unique set of issues, resources and national environment

Program Modules

The program consists of modular public policy and national security management courses for senior government roles:

• The head of state's national governance and risk management framework

• Introduction to the changing global security landscape and the role of national security managers

• The global world order, hierarchy, and dynamics of power: How financial, political, economic, social, legal and technological forces are increasingly intertwined to shape and change the systems of governance

• Advanced and emerging security concepts and risk management

• Theories of power and conflict: Three dimensions of power, Weber's power, Thucydides trap & power transition, power/approach inhibition, and Foucault's theory of power and Marxist theories of power

• Game theory for policy making; recognize the politics, interests, decision-making systems and socioeconomic dynamics of power players, and the complex interplay between them

• How government agencies are captured? And how to prevent agency capture by internal and external actors? Examples and lessons.

• Why do governments fail? Lessons, best practices and pitfalls

• Managing national and global security threats: Strategic competition, terrorism, espionage, and foreign-influenced activities, cyber security, civil wars, cross-border wars, biodiversity, national resources, property and human rights violations and other challenges

• Groundbreaking security systems theory: Predictive analytics and tools

  • Dynamic socioeconomic systems, adversarial forces, catalysts and cycles

  • Pareto rule, the bell curve, dualism theory, and mean reversion cycles

  • How security threats emerge and multiply exponentially; and how to immunize the nation against them

  • Subjective Well-being Survey (SWB) Tool - An early warning system

• A strategic risk management framework for the head of state; how to manage internal and external threats

• The economics of national security: How to use cost-benefit analysis and short vs. long term return on investment (ROI) in resource allocation and portfolio management

• The national security role of governors and public policy managers; the interrelationship of intelligence and policy

• The role of intelligence in national security policy-making: uses and misuses.

• Foreign interference as a tool of transnational power, domination and repression; tactics and counter measures

• Leadership psychology, culture and managing organizational politics

• Strategic change and reform management

• Action-learning project (optional): Draft a high-level national or agency-wide policy and / or action plan. In this module, the delegates will apply the learned concepts, policy tools, and best practices to their own country or  government agency. The course advisor will guide and facilitate the project completion.

Training Model

• Action learning model

• 25% seminar and 75% experiential project work

Courseware Content

The National Security Policy Management program courseware includes the following:

1. Subject-matter handbook and lecture notes

2. Executive summary of the subject matter:

   • Summary of essential concepts and leadership best practices

   • Examples and case studies

3. Security Policy Management toolkit (management frameworks, decision-models, and checklists)

4. Experiential work-based assessment project

Performance Evaluation

• Performance evaluation is optional and can be evaluated on the basis of individual or team project deliverables

• There are no Q&A exams or tests. Candidates can choose to complete customized experiential work-based projects such as developing a relevant analysis document, management strategy, action plan or a senior management presentation

• The program advisor will review the deliverables and provide improvement feedback. The evaluation is a form of management consulting and experiential coaching for performance improvement

USA, Canada, and Europe Seasonal Programs and Venues:

This executive education program is offered during the following months:

• Winter & Spring Seminars & Programs: December, January, February, March, April, and May in USA
• Spring & Summer Seminars & Programs: May, June, July, August, September, and October in the USA, Canada, and Europe
• Autumn & Winter Seminars & Programs: September, October, November, and December in USA
• Group training seminars are available all months in US, Canada, and Europe