Him: TSDM

Almost two hundred pages later, the TSDM Syllabus is jam packed with information.

Let's get to what the course has as a goal for teaching. Briefly stated the overview of the course is gear towards being able to engage in the challenging complexities of the contemporary national security environment. I will be taking this via seminar, once a week, for three hours. Some of the areas of study will be topics such as; National Defense strategies, Regional Knowledge and Cultural Awareness, Clear and Effective writing and briefing skills, and Management techniques and skills  that compliment leadership skills, just to name a few.

The course is broken down into three separate sub-courses: Security Strategies, Policy Analysis, and Leadership Concepts.

A few of the objectives are:

• Increase ability to perform effectively as a unit commander or member of a major staff specifically in a theater security decision making environment,  and
• Increase understanding of leadership and management concepts that are especially applicable in today’s complex security environment.

Leadership Concepts: 17 Sessions, first part of the course. This part of the course is designed to prepare me to lead and effectively participate in a dynamic security environment. It works on personal, interpersonal, and group management and leadership skills that I or others in the seminar have gained over their careers. I look forward to this, as I am always wanting to get a deeper understanding of leadership and management.

Policy Analysis: 18 Sessions, second par of the course. This part will explain the environment within and  external to the organisations that I may find myself in. The internal will focus on leadership, structure and products of the organisation as well as the impact of organisational behavior and culture. External, the influence on the organisation of the government, higher authority, and elements in the international community which generate requirements for response and action. This is where I am really going to have to listen closely. Even just reading this description I get confused. I have a long way to do in policy, let alone policy analysis.

Security Strategies: 17 Sessions, last part of the course. This part of the course will look at how national interest, strategies, and the security environment can affect how a commander reacts, plans and executes decisions.

There is also a portion of the course that is call the Final Exercise(FX). This is a group effort and to what I have read will be mostly discussion.

Marking and all those particulars are just like any other course, a few papers to write, participation, attendance, etc. This particular course will end by mid-May and I am sure I will be counting down the days for that.

Other than that, the Syllabus goes into light(150 page) details about what each seminar will consist of as well as the required readings for each week. It is a crazy list of readings, but I will keep my head up and try not to drown in the sea of words.

-Another great day