CAMP LEMONNIER, Africa -- Faculty members from U.S. Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island presented a five-day seminar for service members at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti as part of Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) qualification earlier this month.
Professors Larry McCabe, James Cook, Sean Sullivan and Chris Jasparro, all from NWC’s National Security Affairs (NSA) department, gave presentations and lead interactive discussions on the national security policy development process, senior leadership theory and practice, and the joint operational planning process.
The seminar was designed to encourage and support personnel assigned to Camp Lemonnier to pursue the JPME-Phase I qualification through NWC’s distance education program during their tour in Djibouti.
"We enjoy very much working with the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) staff to deliver the important elements of JPME to personnel at Camp Lemonnier,” said McCabe. “It's a long way to travel, but the direct contact and informative discussions with our people in Djibouti are priceless.
"While we believe we offer extremely useful content, we also learn much from the participants. We take the opportunity to update ourselves on security issues in the Horn of Africa. That helps keep our Newport curriculum current. It's a win-win for everyone.
"We look forward to returning next year to offer the seminar to the next group of folks who replace those currently assigned. The Naval War College believes supporting our personnel operating in remote corners of the world is important. We are proud to be able to do it."
The students were members of the CJTF-HOA staff and also included personnel assigned to operational commands at Camp Lemonnier.
McCabe and various members of NSA faculty visit the Horn of Africa annually, and they also conduct several engagements per year with the U.S. Navy and international partners.