National Security Forum

Florida International University’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy’s National Security Forum is one of four institutional programs that support the advancement of knowledge for both the public and private sectors on current and emerging security threats facing the United States, and more broadly, the world. The National Security Forum (NSF) encompasses a wide-range of U.S. national security based activities intended to support U.S. government and the like by providing autonomous, research-based policy recommendations on the most pressing national security issues facing the United States, while supporting the advancement of the U.S. national security workforce. NSF is comprised of three areas of focus intended to support its mission: Academics, Professional Education, and Policy Innovation.

This training prepares students for a future career in the U.S. national security apparatus, while supporting the global workforce at large. Some of the accredited programs offered within the NSF include:

  • Undergraduate Certificate in National Security Studies
  • Graduate Certificate in National Security Studies
  • Undergraduate Certificate in Public Policy
  • Undergraduate Certificate in North American Studies

Other academic offerings include:

  • IC-CAE Intelligence Fellows Program
  • U.S. Department of State's Diplomacy Lab
  • U.S. Southern Command Internship

Professional Development: FIU-JGI is an emerging training center for professional development both in the U.S. and in Latin America and the Caribbean. Professional development programs provide advanced education on the current and emerging security threats facing the Western Hemisphere, and strategies for developing and implementing effective strategies to improve the security environment in their respective countries. Professional development programs are offered in both English and Spanish, and taught by practitioners in the national security apparatus and academics with advance research experience on the respective topic. Professional development programs offered within the NSF include:

  • Executive Certificate in Global Security and Public Policy
  • Annual Hemispheric Security Conference

Policy Innovation: FIU-JGI supports the advancement of innovative and autonomous research in support of the U.S. government, and the academic community as a whole. Through grant-based initiatives, FIU-JGI hosts a series of roundtables, workshops, and conferences that support the advancement of knowledge on topics of importance to global security. In addition, the NSF conducts in-country research efforts to include polling, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and other traditional and non-traditional research methods. Current policy innovation programs within the NSF include:

  • FIU-SOUTHCOM Academic Roundtable Series
  • FIU-SOUTHCOM Military Culture Series
  • FIU-SOUTHCOM Colombian Focus Group Initiative
  • INL Gang Phenomena in El Salvador Study
  • FIU-JGI’s Global Security Review