The Security Cooperation Process: Assignment, Vetting, and Screening of International Participants

Abstract

A technical report on how international students are assigned to training and screened and vetted by U.S. government personnel prior to their arrival at the Naval Postgraduate School

Security Cooperation, or SC, comprises all activities undertaken by the Department of Defense (DOD) to encourage and enable international partners to work with the United States to achieve strategic objectives. It includes all DOD interactions with foreign defense and security establishments, including all DOD-administered Security Assistance (SA) programs, that build defense and security relationships; promote specific U.S. security interests, including all international armaments cooperation activities and SA activities; develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations; and provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to host nations. Education and training opportunities for international students make up an important part of SC. This technical report explains the importance of SC, how students are selected, and the processes for vetting and screening international students before they arrive in the U.S.