APCSS Dean Moriarity displays class pennant photo

APCSS Dean Lauren Kahea Moriarty holds up the CSRT 11-1 Class Pennant with thee senior class leader Pakistan Army Brig. Gen. Nadeem Mirza at the graduation March 24.

HONOLULU – Eight-six Fellows graduated March 24 from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies’ Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism (CSRT) Course.  The military and civilian participants who attended the four-week course came from 46 locations, primarily throughout the Asia-Pacific region, as well as other far reaches of the globe.

Participating in the CSRT course were representatives from Afghanistan, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Fiji, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand.  They also came from Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Tuvalu, United States and Vietnam.

The Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism Course provides key states in the Asia-Pacific region and other designated countries, the operational and strategic-level skills necessary to enhance their ability to combat terrorism while cooperating with other regional nations.  It is also designed to build relationships between the United States, current and future counterterrorism practitioners of participating countries, while developing the trust and confidence necessary for increased information sharing. CSRT also identifies ways to reduce obstacles to cooperation in the international struggle against those who use terror to promote their goals.

Course manager Dr. William Wieninger and course coordinator Lt. Col. Michael Mollohan were impressed with the efforts of both Fellows and faculty.  Noting the course’s enlarged global representation, Dr. Wieninger remarked that “the international flavor beyond the Asia-Pacific was much stronger this time”, while also praising “an outstanding team of seminar leaders.”  Mollohan spotlighted the first-time use of an online portal, the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network, to administer the entire course, resulting in not only a paperless instruction model, but in also helping to foster and facilitate one of the Center’s primary goals, namely the continued connecting and bonding among our alumni.

 The APCSS is a U.S. Department of Defense academic institute addressing regional and global security issues.  Its mission is to educate, connect, and empower security practitioners to advance Asia-Pacific security.  Military and civilian representatives of predominantly Asia-Pacific nations participate in comprehensive programs of executive education, professional exchanges and outreach events throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Since opening in 1995, the Center has had representatives from 96 countries; territories and international organization attend courses for a total of 5,726 alumni.