GPPAG’s multi-disciplinary faculty and access to the whole of the Naval Postgraduate School’s extensive resources and knowledge combine to create a center of expertise and excellence in the areas of globalization, security, stability, and complex environments. This expertise gives GPPAG the ability to develop and deliver a variety of unique, tailored, and highly specialized best-in-class Certificate programs designed to meet the needs of our sponsors.
Stability, Security, and Development in Complex Operations (SSDCO) Certificate Course
The purpose of the program is to provide a professional education program to the civil affairs community focusing on the relevant, requisite skills identified by the Department of Defense, as necessary for implementing Irregular Warfare on a global scale. NPS faculty have studied post-9/11 shifts in operational environments and adaptations in the various civil affairs doctrines, force structure, training, and deployments. This program develops a conceptual framework for analyzing key civil affairs and psychological operations and provides graduate level education to Army Reserve officers in order to enhance their effectiveness as they plan and execute complex operations. The program aims to capture civil affairs and psychological operations operational and tactical innovations, and resulting lessons.
The program objectives include the following:
- Develop understanding of stability, security and development in the global environment
- Provide certification for leaders and practitioners of complex operations
- Compare cases / develop analogical reasoning
- Provide assessment / planning tools for integrated / complex missions
- Enable connections across boundaries (sectoral / actor / national) for learning & operations
- Foster ability to develop strategies in field
- Capture knowledge base and build scenarios / lessons
Course Summary
The Stability, Security, and Development in Complex Operations (SSDCO) Certificate Course consists of three courses delivered in hybrid residence status.
- Phase One of the certificate involves distributed learning over a three to four week period.
- Phase Two entails four weeks of intensive in-residence coursework.
The program content and projects challenges the student academically and addresses problems of interest to the DoD with specific emphasis on the challenges of civil-military relations and human dynamics.
Program Timeline
| Requirement | Timeline | Status | Remarks |
| Pre-Course | Dec 1–Jan 5 | Administration | Course preparation and Student Selection |
| Phase 1 | Jan 11–29 | Distributed | Estimated 12 hours of pre-reading, short biographical essay and short introduction session with instructor |
| Phase 2 | Feb 1–26 | In residence | 3 courses, 4 graduate hour credits |
| Completion | Feb 26–Mar 12 | Administration | Completion of Academic Evaluation Reports and Grades |
Resources:
GGPAG Certificate Course Schedule (PDF)
GPPAG Participant Handbook SSDCO (PDF)
Learn more about GPPAG Courses and Certificate Programs:
NPS Academic Catalog