Photo By Jasmine Garcia | Institute for Security Governance (ISG) Regional Program Lead, Katrina Elledge, ISG...... read more read more
The Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) Institutional Capacity Building Team – Tbilisi, Georgia was honored with the 2024 Secretary of Defense Sustainment Training, Advice, and Assistance of Foreign Military Forces Award in the Ministerial Category on Dec. 11, 2024. This recognition is the result of a dynamic team effort between DSCU’s team of Institute for Security Governance (ISG) Regional Advisors and the Ministry of Defense Advisor (MoDA) team in Tbilisi.
Ms. Katrina Elledge, ISG Regional Program Lead; Mr. Jeffrey Fletcher [CTR], ISG Country Program Coordinator; and Mr. Kyle Brown, U.S. MoDA for Georgia; represented the DSCU Team at the Annual Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards ceremony in Salt Lake City. The award was presented by Acting Assistance Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Sustainment Mr. Steven Morani.
The Secretary of Defense first instituted the award in 2014 to honor exceptional achievement in providing training, advice, and assistance to establish self-sustaining maintenance capabilities of foreign security forces. Since 2019, when the award was expanded to include sustainment, it has been renamed and now . recognizes teams and organizations that have excelled in institutional capacity building.
U.S. foreign policy holds that training, advice, and assistance to developing partner countries’ militaries are critical instruments of our national security policy. These efforts advance U.S. policy goals and those of international coalitions by shaping the development of host nation military capabilities, thereby strengthening domestic, regional, and international stability.
The event drew high-ranking Department of Defense (DOD) civilian and military officials, including OSD Policy ASD for Sustainment Mr. Steven Morani, keynote speaker Lieutenant General Stacey T. Hawkins, and additional senior DOD civilian leaders, generals and flag officers at the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Symposium. This recognition highlights the exemplary efforts of the ISG Georgia team in concert with DSCU’s MoDA program, reflecting a collaborative commitment to enhancing defense institutional capacity in support of shared security interests.
ISG’s ongoing capacity building work has been acknowledged several times in recent years. This includes receiving the Secretary of Defense Maintenance award for outstanding work in Ukraine (2023), in Colombia (2021), and in Jordan (2020). The Institute also received the 2022 Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its work in USCENTCOM and the 2019 DOD Sustainment Train, Advise, and Assist of Foreign Forces (Ministerial Level) award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense for its work in USEUCOM.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.14.2025 13:21 |
| Story ID: | 489058 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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