Press Releases
Tanzanian People’s Defense Forces Officer Joins U.S. Security Seminar
January 19, 2007
Captain Manfred Pilmin Mapunda, an army officer with the Tanzania Peoples’ Defense Forces (TPDF) leaves this week for a six-week Study of the United States Institute on National Security at the University of California, San Diego. The U.S. Department of State is supporting this opportunity for a Tanzanian to participate in this rigorous post-graduate level academic seminar and study tour.
According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, the focus of the program concerns U.S. national security policymaking and how the events of September 11, 2001 have altered this process. Mapunda will join a group of 17 other professionals from around the world as they deepen their understanding of the foundations and formulation of U.S. national security policy.
The unifying theme of the programme-- ‘U.S. National Security in the Twenty-First Century’--includes three components: (1) Foreign Policy, National Security, and the Opinion-Forming Process; (2)Terrorism, National Security and Regional Security; and (3) One World: Globalisation, Technological Leadership, and Non-traditional Security Issues - such as Public Health, Energy, and the Environment.
The programme’s ultimate goal is to promote the development of courses and teaching about the U.S. and its national security policy making process at universities and other educational, training and research institutions abroad.
Captain Mapunda said he was looking forward to his tour in the U.S. and believes the knowledge gained will help with the instruction he provides within Tanzanian military and other institutions. “I need to know how far they are in security awareness, counter terrorism, national security and how they formulate their policies on national security,” said Mapunda. Mapunda looks forward to exchanging security experiences with some of the participants traveling from other African countries including Egypt, Malawi, and Zambia. Mapunda also hopes to incorporate useful elements of his training into strategies and perhaps even policies related to Tanzania’s national security plans.