Course Application Instructions
» Military Candidates
Military participants for most courses are identified by the US Embassy Country Team in partnership with the host-nation's Ministry of Defense or other designated military representatives. Interested officers must contact the US Office of Military Cooperation to receive an application form. Completed forms must be submitted to CHDS via the US Office of Military Cooperation.
Military candidates that are already CHDS graduates with an interest in Specialized Courses and Advanced Courses may also submit their application apply directly to CHDS (CHDS will forward a copy to the appropriate US Office of Military Cooperation). Military candidates are responsible for keeping their chain-of-command informed of their candidacy.
The preferred rank for military participants for all courses is Lieutenant Colonel/Commander (O5).
US military officers or their training office should contact the CHDS Registrar. Lieutenant Colonel/Commander (O5) is the preferred rank for all courses.
» Civilian Candidates
More than half of all civilian participants are identified in partnership with the ministries of the host-nation's government, including the police and security forces. All self-nominated civilian candidates (government and non-government) must apply directly to CHDS.
» General Guidance
Submitting your Application: All application documents must be submitted electronically and at the same time, either via e-mail or fax. When using email, the Subject line should be your last name, country, and the acronym for the course to which you are applying.
Example – Subject: Martinez – Mexico – SDP application
Deadline: The application deadline for self-nominated candidates is noted on the calendar.
Documents and attachments: Original documents are not required. A complete application consists of the following:
- Application Form (completed, dated, signed)
- There is a limit of ten pages of "Additional Documents". Curriculum Vitae should not exceed four pages.
Recommended formats for submitting attachments are doc, docx, pdf, tif, gif, and jpg.
Documents saved in the following formats are not able to pass through the National Defense University firewall and will cause the entire message to be deleted automatically. Deadline extensions are not granted for applications rejected by the NDU firewall.
add, ade, asp, bas, bat, chm, cmd, cpl, crt, dbx, dll, fon, hlp, hta, inf, ins, isp, js, jse, lnk, mdb, mde, msc, msi, msp, mst, ocx, pcd, pif, reg, scr, sct, shs, shb, url, vb, vbe, vbs, vxd, wsc, wsf, wsh, rar, zip
NOTES: If your employment status changes after you submit your application (new job with same employer, new employer, retirement, etc.), you must advise CHDS of this change. Not notifying CHDS of this change may be grounds to be disqualified from attending.
Letters of Recommendation:
All Letters of Recommendation should be addressed to the Acting Director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, Mr. Kenneth LaPlante.
Letters of Recommendation are mandatory for the Strategy and Defense Policy (SDP) course; the Caribbean Defense and Security Course (CDSC); and the Perspectives on Homeland Security and Defense (PHSD) course. Letters of Recommendation for all other courses are optional, but are highly encouraged.
Ackowledgement: Applications must include one functioning email address. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent via email within five business days, except when an application is submitted on the day before, or the day of, the application deadline. Then the response time may exceed ten working days. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement of receipt after ten working days please contact the registrar's office via email. If problems exist (documents are illegible, application incomplete, etc.), the Registrar's office will send an email describing the problems and solutions.
NOTE: For candidates living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Local candidates may apply for resident courses. The administrative and evaluation criteria remain the same as for candidates applying from elsewhere. The application deadlines remain in effect.
» Applicant Restrictions
Graduates of CHDS resident courses must wait ten months between courses, with the following exceptions:
Civilian applicants may apply to the two Foundational Courses (SDP or the CDSC), except graduates of the ICCT or an Advanced Course. Any civilian applicant may also apply for Specialized Courses or Advanced Courses. CHDS graduates receive preference for Advanced Courses.
CHDS graduates may attend two resident courses in any 36-month period.
Participation in a CHDS-sponsored event such as a seminar, NationLab or workshop does not affect your eligibility to apply to a course.
» Selection Process
Self-nominated candidates are evaluated via a competitive selection process utilizing criteria approved by the Course Director. The final recommendations are approved by the Director of CHDS.
» Notification Process
All candidates are notified via email by the Registrar's office approximately 60 days before the course begins whether they were 1) selected to attend, 2) selected for the wait list, or 3) not selected. As each course receives many more qualified applicants than available scholarships, it is not possible to provide a detailed explanation for why a candidate is not selected.
Please contact the Registrar's office at chdsregistrar@ndu.edu with any questions.