The International Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program (ICTF)

The National Defense University ICTF program, conducted by the College of International Security Affairs (CISA), is the centerpiece of DoD's Regional Defense Combating Terrorism Fellowship (RDCTF) program.  RDCTF is administered by the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Partnership Strategy under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs.

National Defense University (NDU) welcomes International Counterterrorism Fellows from coalition partner countries each summer.  The program runs for 11 months through the fall and spring semesters. The NDU International Student Management Office (ISMO), the College of International Affairs’ close partner in the program, receives new students, assists their arrival with a 5-week orientation program before classes begin, and manages a broad array of informational field trips over 30+ weeks.

The College of International Security Affairs offers accredited graduate courses up to an NDU Master of Arts degree in Strategic Security Studies for qualified students, and first hand exposure throughout the counterterrorism, and counterinsurgency educational communities.  Graduates will remain connected to NDU as well as to each other long after graduation through a web-based alumni program.  Our goal is to create an international community of counterterrorism experts and practitioners linked by a common commitment to the defeat of this significant global threat.

The College of International Security Affairs' ICTF program affords selected counterterrorism specialists a unique opportunity to view a rapidly changing world in a strategic perspective. While the world is threatened by global terrorism, its impacts are unique to each region and each country.  Each must plan deliberately to counter the threat of terrorism to its stability.  The Program asks Fellows to consider in their coursework questions such as: How can military organizations, foreign affairs professionals, government economists, first responders, consequence managers, homeland security agencies, and the law enforcement community work together to combat terrorism? What is the role of the military in protecting the homeland, and how should military organizations adapt to meet the challenges of global terrorism?

Within NDU, our program emphasizes the role of U.S. ties, the impact of military professionalism, and the challenges and opportunities associated with civil-military cooperation in an environment where terrorists are resourceful and adaptable in their efforts to exploit weaknesses through asymmetric operations across the globe.

Learning Objectives of the ICTF Program

Counterterrorism Fellows are given a broad, strategic perspective on fighting terrorism by various instruments with an emphasis on the historical, political, economic, organizational, social, psychological, and judicial aspects of counterterrorism.  CT Fellows who complete the program will be better equipped to (1) Analyze the global threat and its various manifestations;  (2) Recognize how global terrorism works – modes, means, roots, and psychology of transnational terrorism, (3) Recognize the different forms terrorism may take, as either a stand alone entity or as one tactic in a larger mass mobilization effort; (4) Evaluate means of countering the threat within and outside national settings; (5) Plan how to work with the United States and other members of the anti-terror Coalition in deterring, combating, and defeating global terrorism.Students leave the program better able to comprehend the threat, to conceptualize its many factors, to adapt to the changing nature of the threat, and to communicate with the United States and other coalition partners. Students also become part of a network of expertise and shared professional experience which will itself count as an effective tool against terrorism as graduates move to higher levels of responsibility in their national security establishments.

Courses

CT Fellows participate in six graduate courses each semester.  Each course draws upon the diverse experience base of its participants in an interactive seminar setting.  The courses emphasize leadership, logical analysis, integrating alternative viewpoints, and making effective arguments, presentations, and decisions. An understanding of strategic thinking, decision analysis, organizational behavior, and conflict management is developed through discussions and coursework. 

Academic Visits

The College of International Security Affairs works closely with ISMO to assure that Counterterrorism Academic Visits (CAV) support and expand upon classroom learning.  ISMO also organizes trips that expose international students to important aspects of American life.

Enrollment

The President of NDU issues formal invitations to Combatant Commanders based on OSD Policy allocations for each class.  With the endorsement of Regional Commands and the approval of OSD, countries may also participate at their own expense.

Student Requirements

NDU welcomes student families and will make every effort to make their time in the U.S. rewarding and comfortable.  CT Fellows will require English language skills appropriate to graduate work.  An ECL of 90 is considered the minimum for effective participation and one of the conditions of qualification for the Masters degree.  Selected students will be vetted through U.S. Embassy procedures for certification under human rights standards promulgated for RDCTF program participation.