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On 10/1/2009 10:21:19 AM Commander Douglas Velvel wrote
Expanded IMET - Combating Radicalization and Extremism
On 19-25 Sept 2009, a team from the U.S. Africa Command Office of Legal Counsel and the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS) traveled to Kinshasa, DRC, to lead a 5 day executive-level -IMET on Combating Radicalization and Extremism. The seminar was attended by approximately 30 members of the DRC national government and selected other attendees. Many of these attendees are directly involved in counter terror efforts and included senior advisors to the President of the DRC.
The seminar focused on radicalization and extremism in general, but also was discussed in the context of challenges unique to the DRC and its neighbors. Topics of discussion included counter insurgency doctrine, intelligence activities, the law of internal armed conflict, and using the criminal justice system to combat radicalization and extremism. The training discussions also included comparisons of U.S. experiences and laws to those of the DRC in an effort to encourage the conference members to apply the training to their country's challenges.
The DRC and the US Embassy (especially the local national staff) were outstanding hosts and all look forward to future engagement between our nations"
On 10/2/2009 10:31:07 AM Anonymous in Unspecified wrote Commander, thank you for your entry.
I'd like to expand a little on what IMET in order to give our readers a better understanding.
International Military Education and Training (IMET) program is a low cost, key funding component of U.S. security assistance that provides training on a grant basis to students from allied and friendly nations.
The IMET program is an investment in ideas and people which has an overall positive impact on the numerous students trained under the program. For a relatively modest investment, it presents democratic alternatives to key foreign military and civilian leaders.
The IMET program exposes students to the U.S. professional military establishment and the American way of life, including amongst other things, U.S. regard for democratic values, respect for individual and human rights and belief in the rule of law. Students are also exposed to U.S. military procedures and the manner in which our military functions under civilian control.
Overall objectives of the IMET program are
- To further the goal of regional stability through effective, mutually beneficial military-to-military relations which culminate in increased understanding and defense cooperation between the United States and foreign countries and
- To increase the ability of foreign national military and civilian personnel to absorb and maintain basic democratic values and protect internationally recognized human rights.
The IMET objectives are achieved through a variety of military education and training activities conducted by the DoD for foreign military and civilian officials. These include: formal instruction involving over 2,000 courses taught at approximately 150 military schools and installations; on-the-job training; orientation tours for key senior military and civilian officials; and mobile education teams which takes the curriculum to the host country.
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