Fort Benning
U.S. Army Fort Benning and The Maneuver Center of Excellence
WHINSEC Site
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC)
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Costa Rica's Minister of Public Security, Dr. Michael Soto Rojas, visited the Institute Friday, Feb 1, for induction into the WHINSEC Hall of Fame in the middle of a busy day getting to know the Institute as it is now. Minister Soto was a student in the Counter Narco-terrorism Information Analyst Course in 2009, and now he has risen to be the senior security official in Costa Rica, part of the President's cabinet. Minister Soto was here to see for himself what WHINSEC can offer police and other law enforcement organizations, so in addition to hearing briefings, he went to the W-2 Training Area to see the mock-up cocaine lab used in several courses for law enforcement training. The final event of the day took him to Fort Benning's Clarke Simulation Center to see the State-of-the-art equipment that provides realistic training experiences. He also discussed security issues with students and instructors at the Institute.
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Argentine BG Agustin Cejas, Director of the National Military College, came to Fort Benning to address the graduating students of six WHINSEC courses on Thursday, Nov 15, at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. This was a special event because it marked the return of Argentine students to the Institute; three Argentine cadets completed the Cadet Leadership Development Course. He then came to WHINSEC to learn about the Institute and to consider opportunities for collaboration. While at Fort Benning, he spent a day visiting the Maneuver Center of Excellence and several of its components, particularly the Henry Caro NCO Academy.
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Colombian Army BG Robinson A. Ramírez charged the 26 students completing the Maneuver Captains Career Course-WHINSEC to get to the heart of their subordinates and help them find their intangible strengths they may not be aware of. He urged them to wear their crests (uniform device presented to each graduating student) with pride and be true ambassadors of the Institute. In addition to speaking at the MCCC-W graduation, BG Ramírez received a briefing about WHINSEC, provided a briefing on Colombian Army's Education and Doctrine Command, which he leads, and completes his visit to Fort Benning with visits to several MCoE facilities, including the Henry Caro NCO Academy.
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In a WHINSEC tradition, visitors are met in front of the headquarters and are introduced to the leadership and staff. Here, BG Vicente Mota, Secretary General of the Conference of American Armies (CAA), meets the Institute's International Command Sergeant Major William Villacorta of Peru while WHINSEC's Deputy Commandant for Law Enforcement, COL Walter Navarro, salutes COL Juan Medina, Executive Secretary of the CAA. BG Mota took a few hours to get to know the Institute and to tell the Command & General Staff Officer Course students about the CAA before visiting other units on Fort Benning.
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Costa Rica's Director of National Police, COL Daniel Calderon (left) discusses his objectives in visiting WHINSEC with COL Robert Alvaro, WHINSEC Commandant. Calderon led a delegation of senior security personnel from Costa Rica to review courses at the Institute which may be useful to the services represented. The delegation got a detailed view of WHINSEC, visited its training areas, and also MCoE's Clarke Simulation Center.
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Local Police Chief has International Influence
LaGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar protects and serves a small Georgia city, but he has world-wide connections and influence as President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The IACP has been around since 1893, has 30,000 members in 150 countries, and is active in seeking new venues of service. Chief Dekmar came to WHINSEC and Fort Benning to become acquainted with what WHINSEC has to offer to law enforcement agencies from the Americas. In addition to seeing the Institute, Chief Dekmar was given a detailed tour of MCoE's Clarke Simulation Center. His productive visit identified opportunities for cooperation between WHINSEC and the IACP.
WHINSEC FAST FACTS
Feb 19-22, 2019
Nine courses in session with 340 students from 13 countries.
Command & General Staff Officer Course, Class of 2018-2019
(67 students) studies Integrating and Executing Close Air Support (CAS), Tactical Sustainment, Risk & Adaptability, Major Operations Planning, and in history, World War II: Combined Bomber Offensive, 1942-1945.
Medical Assistance Course
(23 students) studies Battlemind Warrior Resiliency, Suicide Prevention and Environmental Threats; conducts Individual Skills Validation and Medical Simulation Training Center Trauma Scenarios: Detailed Physical Exam, Head, Abdominal, Burns and Musculoskeletal Traumas.
Joint Interagency Operations Course
(25 students) conducts a Unified Action Panel Discussion and studies U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard Roles, Functions, Capabilities & Limitations; also studies Special Operations Forces and Cyberspace Operations.
Transnational Threat Network Intelligence Analyst Course
(26 students) studies Threat Objectives & End States, Information Collection & Management, Enemy Courses of Action (Identify, Develop, Evaluate & Prioritize), then students brief their findings, both individually and in groups.
Maneuver Captains Career Course-WHINSEC
(24 students) studies Command & Control, Doctrinal Fundamentals and the Operational Environment; U.S. students develop a battalion-level training event while the international students take a Field Studies Program trip to Atlanta.
Small Unit Leader Course
(30 students) studies Risk Management, Supply Procedures, Training Management, and Combat Orders.
Joint Logistics & Security Assistance Course
(15 students) conducts a TEMPO simulation game and a Case Study of USSOUTHCOM Joint Task Force-Haiti; studies U.S. Army Tactical & Operational Logistics; U.S. Army Transportation Corps & Health Services Operations; Strategic Logistics Policy; and Joint Command Relationships & Authorities.
Cadet Leadership Development Course
(104 students) conducts Combat Water Survival Training (CWST), a Map Reading Exam, Confidence Course, Terrain Association & Land Navigation and Mechanical Training on the M4 rifle; studies Leadership Traits & Behaviors, and Leadership & Culture.
Countering Transnational Threats Course
(26 students) conducts a Diagnostic Physical Fitness Test and Combat Water Survival Training (CWST); studies the Profession of Arms (Ethics), the Armed Forces & Democracy, Democracy & Human Rights, and Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB).