Partnership For A Secure America Inc

ACTIVITIES TO HEIGHTEN THE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF AND SUPPORT FOR A BIPARTISAN NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY; TO BRING DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS TOGETHER TO SEEK COMMON GROUND IN NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY; AND TO ACCOMPLISH THE PRECEDING PURPOSES THROUGH THE USE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOLS OF MODERN COMMUNICATIONS.

CONGRESSIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.) THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 CAUSED PSA TO SUSPEND THE CPP MID-PROGRAM IN MARCH. FORTUNATELY, WE SUCCESSFULLY RESTRUCTURED THE PROGRAM BY MAY AND CONTINUE VIA DIGITAL EVENTS OVER THE INTERNET, AND THE TRADITIONAL TWO SESSIONS. THE TWO CPP SESSIONS WERE COMBINED INTO ONE GROUP ALLOWING THE PROGRAM TO FINISH ON TIME, AS WELL AS PROVIDING GREATER NETWORKING POSSIBILITIES FOR THE PARTICIPANTS. PSA STAFF SHIFTED BRIEFINGS TO A SECURE ONLINE PLATFORM. SKILLS TRAININGS AND SEMINARS WERE EXPANDED OVER SHORTER, MULTIDAY PERIODS. THESE ADAPTATIONS HAVE BEEN VITAL IN PRESERVING THE VALUE OF PSA EVENTS AND MITIGATING THE DRAWBACKS OF ONLINE PROGRAMMING. THE STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION SEMINAR WAS EXPANDED TO A 3-DAY EVENT. IT BEGAN WITH A DEDICATE LECTURE LED BY A PROFESSOR FROM THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE. THE ONLINE FORMAT ENABLED PSA STAFF TO RECORD AND SHARE THE LECTURE WITH CPP PARTICIPANTS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN ABSENT. IN OUR NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SIMULATION, WE WERE ABLE TO OFFER THREE OPTIONS ON WHEN TO PARTICIPATE. BEYOND SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY, THIS CREATED SMALLER GROUP DYNAMICS, ALLOWING MORE OF THE CONVERSATIONAL FLOW THAT AN IN-PERSON EVENT PROVIDES. PSA WILL CONTINUE TO FINISH THE FINAL COMPONENTS FOR THIS GRANT CYCLE OF THE CPP. WE EXPECTED TO BEGIN THE NEXT CYCLE SOMETIME IN THE SPRING. EVENTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE VIRTUAL; HOWEVER, STAFF WILL CONTINUALLY EVALUATE CONDITIONS IN THE HOPES OF RECONVENING IN-PERSON INTERACTION AS SOON AS SAFE HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS ALLOW.

PSA-HARVARD-AU: PROGRAM ONLEGISLATIVE NEGOTIATION - PSA ASSISTED IN ADMINISTERING 9 SESSIONS OF NEGOTIATION TRAININGS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF, STATE LEVEL LEGISLATORS, AND NON-PROFIT PRINCIPALS. THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM BUILDS UPON MATERIALS DESIGNED BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND IS TAUGHT BY PROFESSORS OF NEGOTIATION FROM HARVARD AND AU. PROGRAMING SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ATTENTION ON THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. WITH LESSONS-LEARNED FROM THE ONGOING CPP, PSA STAFF ALREADY HAD EXPERIENCE ADAPTING OPERATIONS AND TEACHING IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT. OUR STAFF AND PLN FACULTY DESIGNED THE CLASSES TO DELIVER A DYNAMIC LEARNING ATMOSPHERE WITH EXPERT LED LECTURES, SMALL AND LARGE GROUP DISCUSSIONS, AND ENGAGING-SIMULATION EXERCISES. PSA'S EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CONGRESSIONAL STAFF WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ASSURING THE BROADEST AND MOST PARTY.

INTERNATIONALCONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PREVENTION BRIEFING SERIES - PSA CONTINUED COORDINATING OFF-THE-RECORD BRIEFINGS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE PARTNERSHIP WITH USIP HAS BUILT SUSTAINED INTEREST FROM STAFF ON THE HILL. THIS YEAR, OUR BRIEFINGS AVERAGED 47 ATTENDEES PER EVENT. WE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY HIT A MILESTONE MARKING OUR 75TH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING IN THIS INITIATIVE, A COLLABORATION SPANNING 8 YEARS.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE-CONGRESS COMMUNICATION (DSCCP) IS AN IN-PERSON, MULTI-WEEK, COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOP TO SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE/EXECUTIVE COLLABORATION IN FOREIGN POLICY. EACH COHORT OF THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE A GROUP OF 18-20 BI-PARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS (FSOS), 9-10 INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH INSTITUTION. THERE WILL BE THREE WORKSHOPS BEFORE THE END OF THE CONTRACT TERM.THE DSCCP WILL FOSTER IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CONGRESS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE THROUGH A FOCUS ON CURRENT FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES, UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS OF CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND FSOS, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS. EACH ITERATION OF THE DSCCP WILL INCLUDE: SEPARATE ORIENTATIONS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND FSOS; AN INTRODUCTORY SESSION WITH CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND FSOS; TWO POLICY SEMINARS; A NEGOTIATION SEMINAR; AND A CULMINATING FINAL SESSION.