Guide
Who trains the Foreign Military Sales workforce?
The Defense University is the center for training, education and certification of the workforce, and the workforce's training status is kept in a shared database.
Who trains the Foreign Military Sales workforce?
Defense University () is the DOD’s center for training, education, and certification of the workforce.
’s mission is to do the following:
- Deliver a competency-based curriculum to train, educate, and develop the workforce in support of the Workforce Certification Program
- Offer educational and training opportunities to non-security cooperation workforce U.S. Government, U.S. industry stakeholders, and foreign government military and civilian personnel
- Leverage a virtual consortium of stakeholder education and training institutions and subject-matter experts to serve as a enterprise-wide resource for developing and advancing
- Partner with the Joint Staff, other Department of Defense, and U.S. Government organizations, and civilian academic institutions to advance education and training
currently has four campuses. The Defense University () National Capital Region (NCR) is located in the D.C. and conducts executive level education, senior tutorials, and courses that benefit the workforce in the NCR, by leveraging its proximity to DOD and U.S. government senior leaders.
The School of Studies (SSCS), located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, is a component element of the Defense University () and is responsible for training and educating the Workforce. SSCS professionalizes the () enterprise by providing certification courses and professional development to a diverse audience of U.S. and international military and civilian students. SSCS directly supports the ’s () mission of advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy by enabling the workforce and building the capacity of foreign security forces to respond to shared challenges. Core functional areas include Case Life Cycle Management, Sustainment, and Acquisition, Officer training, Planning, Oversight and Execution, International Programs, Execution Support, Executive Education, and Defense Advisor training.
References
SAMM
- SAMM C13.3.6.1.1
- SAMM C13.3.6.6 — Security Cooperation Workforce Database
Related
Security Cooperation
Activities undertaken by the DoD to encourage and enable international partners to work with the United States to achieve strategic objectives. It includes all DoD interactions with foreign defense and security establishments, including all DoD-administered security assistance programs, that: build defense and security relationships that promote specific U.S. security interests, including all international armaments cooperation activities and security assistance activities; develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations; and provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to host nations.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
DSCU — Defense Security Cooperation University
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
An agency, under the authority, direction, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)), that directs, administers, and provides DoD-wide guidance to the DoD Components and DoD representatives to U.S. missions abroad for the execution of DoD security assistance and security cooperation programs over which DSCA has responsibility, in accordance with Chapter 32 and Chapter 39 of title 22 U.S.C., DoD Directive (DoDD) 5132.03, other laws, and DoDD 5105.65.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
DSCA — Defense Security Cooperation Agency
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Glossary entry →Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) →