Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has requested the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to increase the representation of the Ukrainian military in this educational institution. The management of the center, opened on June 5, 1993, in the Germany’s Garmisch-Partenkirchen, have agreed. The common opinion is that this makes a mutually- beneficial contribution to our new history. But history is not written from a blank slate. The Marshall Center is shrouded with two official and not-so-official legends. It will be recalled that George Catlett Marshall, general of the army and later US Secretary of State, is known as the drafter and inspirer of a plan to resuscitate the economies of Western Europe by means of active US financial and technical aid. The successful plan was drawn up after World War II, when it became clear that the recent allies, the US and the USSR, held completely different views on the future of Europe and could no longer work together.
Since the Cold War ended in a defeat of the Soviet Union, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies has been working for the US to share again the burden of responsibility for European security, this time not so much with the old as with new partners. The center deals with unique security education schemes participated by officials representing more than 45 countries. The goal is to assist the countries of Central Europe to set up defense institutions compatible with democratic processes, a market economy, and civilian control over the military.
As to unofficial things, the Marshall Center is situated, by pure chance, at the Sheridan Barracks, which starting in 1964 based the US armed forces’ Russian Institute, well known in the narrow circles. Special force representatives of various US agencies, including the CIA and State Department, accounted for about 40% of its students. What has remained of this institute at the Marshal Center is perhaps the curriculum for staff officers majoring in Eurasian regional studies. This establishment trains US armed forces officers and department of defense civilian staff to serve in key positions in various countries, including those of the former USSR. The curriculum comprises advanced courses in Russian, Ukrainian, and other languages, the study of military, political, and regional problems, along with on-the- spot practice in the relevant countries.
The Marshall Center is managed by two masters, the governments of the United States and Germany. This shows well in the structure of the center’s management: Director Robert Kennedy has two deputies, an American and a German. The German representative, Major-General (Retired) Winfried Dunkel , visited Ukraine the week before last, where he met this country’s military leadership. Kyiv also hosted the second international conference the Marshall Center organized especially for the Ukrainian military. High on the agenda was defense planning and forecasting, as well as the possibility of Ukraine using the experience of NATO countries in putting the armed forces on a volunteer basis.
Winfried Dunkel is certain that of paramount importance is a common approach to studying the problems of national security, including the formulation of strategy, defense planning, crisis management, and cooperative security, taking into account different viewpoints. What is important here is not what but how to think about one question or another.
“General, what are the selection criteria for the Marshall Center?”
“The security and defense curriculum provides three international academic courses for military and civilian officials. These courses envisage minute scrutiny of a wide range of issues dealing with the elaboration and pursuit of national security policies in democratic states. We also hold a two-week targeted course for generals twice a year. This usually includes sixty participants. Special attention is paid to the practical consideration of the issues of defense management and strategy formation in the new democratic states. The continuously revised and updated training course for top officials gives a detailed analysis of the challenges, threats, and opportunities facing Europe and Eurasia.
“The other course is designed for senior officers of the lieutenant- colonel and colonel level. This fifteen week course is also conducted twice a year and also comprises about sixty participants. In our opinion, the most important is a nine week course on Leaders of the Twenty- First Century intended for younger specialists, mostly for servicemen of the major and captain level. This course is held three times a year. Although this course is oriented toward staff officers, it aims to expand the views of tomorrow’s leaders about a wide range of security problems, which their states will face in the near future.
“But it would be wrong to conclude that we train military specialists only. We invite for studies other high officials from various entities of public administration who deal with defense decision-making, diplomats and lawmakers. Frankly, we would like to raise the number of civilian students. Now the US Congress is considering a bill to lay the legal foundations for increasing the civilian segment in the Marshall Center’s educational structure.
“Our activities are mainly aimed at national security issues. But the purely military component should not and cannot dominate in security. We would also like to receive journalists and economic experts. This will help make our courses more open to the civilian community.
“We have now more than 2,000 people studying in Garmisch, of whom only 10% come from NATO countries.”
“Which of the NATO nonmember states is represented by the largest number of students?”
“Ukraine has sent more than 300 people to our courses and conferences. This is the second largest representation after Russia. There are several reasons why we support Ukraine’s activity. We think Ukraine is a very important example for other states in their march toward Europe and the European Union. This is why we are ready to expand Ukraine’s representation in the Marshall Center in order to speed up the reform of your armed forces and society. Besides, we received a request to this effect from your defense minister.
“We have positively reacted to this Ukrainian proposal. So now we intend to increase the number of participants in our courses from 350 to 600 as early as in 2002. Ukraine will be thus able to derive still more benefit from Marshall Center courses. Next year Ukraine will host the third international conference on civilian-military relationships, in which our instructors and representatives will be taking part.”
“After the end of World War II and the Cold War, the US and Europe saw a new serious enemy, international terrorism. Will this challenge affect the Marshall Center’s approaches and contribution to finding the optimal ways of ensuring effective security?”
“Terrorism is a problem for the whole world, not only for one or two countries. Of course, this is one of the threats to be taken into account while mapping a national security strategy. But I am not inclined to think that countering terrorism will become the key element of this system. Yes, our idea of the role and objective of the armed forces in combating terrorism will undergo certain changes. Perhaps some army units in most states will begin specialized training for fighting terrorism. As to more global security approaches, they will remain unchanged.
“Military force is not the main instrument in combating terrorism. At first, we must use diplomatic resources, isolate such people, and destroy their channels of financial resources. This requires the concerted effort of a number of countries. In such conditions, of course, we need to closely cooperate in gathering and exchanging intelligence information. Traditionally, intelligence information is considered a deeply internal affair of every state. It is always very difficult to exchange this kind of information, because you have to open up some very serious and important national interests for everyone to see.
“But under current conditions the problem of combating terrorism is so acute that all civilized states consider protection from terrorism as a priority national interest. We must create an alliance of humanity against these parasites. For terrorists host on the whole society. They don’t care about the life of other people, they make use of social benefits, and when they suddenly decide that the time for a strike has come they do it contrary to the interests of the entire civilized society. And we will live in a better world if we join our efforts in fighting terrorism.”
