Command Oversight
Chain of Command
The Department of Defense is responsible for the institute and its activities. The Secretary of Defense has designated the Secretary of the Army as his executive Agent to supervise and manage it.
The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), which is responsible for all Army doctrine development and training, and its subordinate command, the Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, exercise supervisory command and control of the institute. US Army centers and schools (under TRADOC) are responsible for providing up-to-date training support packages for all military operations related to courses taught at the WHINSEC. This policy ensures that all instruction is current, correct, and taught to DOD standards.
Because the WHINSEC supports both the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) in their security cooperation missions, the commanders participate directly in curriculum selection and periodic reviews.
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Board of Visitors
When Congress passed the Defense Authorization Bill for 2001 and President Bill Clinton signed it into law, WHINSEC was created. The law called for a federal advisory committee -the Board of Visitors (BoV) - to maintain independent review, observation, and recommendation regarding operations of the institute. The 14-member BoV includes members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, representatives from the State Department, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Northern Command, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and six members designated by the Secretary of Defense. These six members include representatives from the human rights, religious, academic, and business communities. The board reviews and advises on areas such as curriculum, academic instruction, and fiscal affairs of the institute. Their reviews ensure relevance and consistency with US policy, laws, regulation, and doctrine.
Members of the Board are not compensated by reason of service on the Board.