The Education and Training Center/International (ETC/I) conducted a series of briefings for 11 U.S. Army Reserve civil affairs service members on August 18 and 26, 2009 deploying to Djibouti with regional responsibilities as part of the U.S. military’s Africa Command.
The Education and Training Center/International (ETC/I) conducted a series of briefings for 11 U.S. Army Reserve civil affairs service members on August 18 and 26, 2009 deploying to Djibouti with regional responsibilities as part of the U.S. military’s Africa Command. The focus of the two groups, one consisting of a planning team and the other with a liaison role such as running a civil-military operations center, was on how best to reach out to women’s groups and support local education efforts.
ETC/I’s Deputy Director, Ted Feifer, discussed our training activities with military and civilian groups in Africa and globally, and how this plays a role in the Institute’s overall mission. He also noted the range of the Institute’s online courses and their ease of use. The Institute’s librarian, Jim Cornelius, illustrated Institute online resources—such as links, reports, maps, and events on video and audio—available to the team in the field. Visiting outside gender experts Evelyn Thornton and Tobie Whitman of the Institute for Inclusive Security addressed the importance–as well as the challenges--of working with women in Africa. Institute Jennings Randolph Fellow Xanthe Ackerman discussed approaches and frameworks to education in fragile states in Africa. Participants found the briefings highly professional and useful, and looked forward to integrating concepts and tools discussed into their operational activities. The common comment by all was their wish that they had had more time with the Institute’s experts on an even broader range of issues.
