International Training Branch

Since the 1960s, Training Center Yorktown has been home-away-from-home to thousands of international students from more than 100 naval and coast guard services while continuing its long-standing tradition of providing training in a variety of technical and professional courses. In 1998 the International Resident Training Branch was established to manage the ever-expanding international program which currently involves 200 international students from upwards of 60 countries annually.

International Students attend the Command and Operations School
at the Coast Guard Academy as part of the IMOC program

Resident Training

Under the sponsorship of the State Department Security Assistance Program (SATP), this "people-to-people" program enables civilian and military personnel from many nations to participate in Coast Guard training programs in order to acquire new skills or to advance technical and professional capabilities. Approximately 200 international students - officer, enlisted and civilian - annually attend the full spectrum of Training Center Yorktown schools and courses: Search and Rescue (SAR), Aids to Navigation, Engineering and Weapons, Maritime Law Enforcement, and Small Boat Operations. In addition, there are two courses designed especially for international students, the International Crisis Command and Control Course and the International Maritime Officers Course (IMOC).

IMOC is the centerpiece of Coast Guard resident international training. The 10 week-long course is designed for mid-grade officers and civilians who have been specially selected because of their potential future roles as leaders. Please visit the International Maritime Officers School home page for a course description on IMOC as well as the other resident schools offered at Training Center Yorktown . For information unique to international students, visit the International Student Information Section and the U.S. Coast Guard International Affairs home page.

A visit to nearby Air Station Elizabeth City, NC