Based at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., the NESA Center is the preeminent U.S. Department of Defense institution for promoting security cooperation with partner countries from North Africa, across the Levant, Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, to Central and South Asia.

The NESA Center has the unique ability to leverage the collaborative interests and knowledge of four combatant commands: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), and U.S. European Command (EUCOM), plus their respective service component commands, the Joint Staff,  and the U.S. Department of State, to deliver specialized conferences, seminars, workshops, and military-diplomatic initiatives.

The NESA Center boasts an alumni network of over 14,000 security professionals from over 140 countries spanning the NESA region and beyond. With the efforts of our partners and program participants, foreign policy communities around the world are better equipped to provide answers and analysis towards tough security challenges impacting our world.

Accomplishments:

• Peace through Strength. In support of U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, hosted international community tabletop exercises and planning events for USSC (Office of the Security Coordinator) focused on confluence of holy days in Jerusalem and maintaining peace in the capital.
• Reestablishing Deterrence. Conducted multilateral dialogues with Abraham Accord nations focused on promoting shared regional security challenges with representatives from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, and Morocco to counter the malign influence of Iran.
• Improving Partner Capacity for Future Coalitions. Embarked on a number of professional military education (PME) programs to transform the Saudi Arabia Command and Staff College to a National Defense University ($22M FMS Case conducted FY19-FY24  and $7.2M FY25-26), improve the Royal Jordanian National Defense College (FMF funded FY19-25), continue the growth of the UAE National Defense College ($40M FMS case FY12-25), help grow the Iraqi National Defense College (FMF funded FY18-25),  and assist the Nepal National Defense University design team benchmark US PME (GDRP funded FY23-24). The purpose of PME is not only to provide education, but rather align partner doctrine and combat capability to U.S. standards.
• Warfighter Support. Assisted European Command and Central Command on short notice in conducting interministerial security dialogues in a multilateral format for Central Asia and the Caucasus. Provided Strategic Education on issues important to U.S. National Security to International Coalition Officers assigned to Central Command Special Operations Command. Provided seminars on most recent regional security issues to Defense Attaches and Security Cooperation Officers at annual COCOM education conferences.
• Strengthened CENTCOM and AFRICOM regional security networks. The NESA Center has graduated 1,622 officials from 89 countries in fiscal years 2023-2024 and 14,443 officials from 141 countries over the past twenty-five years.
• Counter U.S. National Security Threats. Sustained security expert professional development programs for Iraq and Lebanon leading to interministerial cooperation in Iraq despite Iranian direct malign influence and leading to Lebanese military capacity building despite Hezbollah malign influence. Current Lebanese President is a NESA Center and U.S. NDU Alumnus.

 

What We Deliver:

Our regional security cooperation programs comport with Secretary of Defense priorities, by reorienting our regional partners and allies to key national security threats in order toreestablish deterrence  consistent with shared security  interests. We incorporate requirements from our combatant command stakeholders, the U.S. State Department, and, when so directed, the National Security Council.

Each program supports one or more strategic aim:

• An expanded community of influence
• Regional leadership engaged in support of common interests
• Future warfighting coalitions are enabled and anticipated
• Maritime Domain frameworks are built and functioning
• Emergent Regional Security issues are identified and engaged

 

Our program set is developed, using varying combinations of Education, Engagement and Outreach, against strategic aims.

• Executive-level education, outreach, and research for Office of the Under Secretary of Defense policies and priorities in support of Geographic Combatant Commands.
• Territorial and maritime security, transnational and asymmetric threats, and defense sector governance in a multilateral format.
• Multilateral: Focused on building networks among practitioners in nearly every country in each regional center’s area of responsibility. In many cases, regional centers conduct the only United States government engagements.
• Interministerial: Each nation has a unique structure of professionals responsible for sustainment of national security functions. Programming is focused on sustaining long-term relationships to counter key national security threats.
• Senior-level: Programming focuses at the senior executive levels of ministries and targets rising experts within the national security sector.
• Opportunities for U.S. strategic messaging and deliver U.S. standards of warfighting and senior leader education in order to improve partner contributions to counter shared national security threats.

 

Our faculty and staff are constantly at work, across four continents and 16 time zones, delivering over 80 programs annually in order to support the U.S. Department of Defense and collaborate with key regional partners and allies to develop robust, sustainable deterrence across volatile regions.