INTA Professor will soon head German Security Center
By Leslie Nguyen News Staff
On October 2, General Wesley Clark, Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command, announced that Dr. Robert Kennedy, a professor in Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, had been named as the Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Kennedy begins his 3-year appointment November 1.
The Marshall Center, founded in 1993, was chartered by the United States Defense Department and is funded by Congress. It provides educational courses and training in national security affairs issues for senior military and civilian defense and foreign policy officials from Europe, the United States, Eurasia, and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
In addition to offering eight different intense language courses, all classes at the Center are taught in three languages: Russian, English, and German. The Center's international staff conducts research on European security issues and the challenges nations face as they make the transition from authoritarian regimes to democratic societies with free market economies. Conferences on issues ranging from legal, humanitarian, and parliamentarian matters to media/public affairs training and Euro-Atlantic security topics are also held at the Center.
According to Kennedy, one of the many reasons the Marshall Center is considered to be an important organization by policy makers in Washington and Europe is that it places heavy emphasis on "understanding the changed nature of the European security environment. It also focuseson helping the top officials in Central and Eastern Europe develop the tools necessary for defense planning in democratic societies and market economies."
Kennedy commented, "I look forward to the challenges of working with senior military officers and civilians from Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, the Marshall Center has a very important mission in Post-Cold War Europe. I consider this appointment a great opportunity, and I am fully aware of the task of making sure that the institution provides the best education and training for people who attend the Center."
Kennedy plans to return to Tech after his three-year leave of absence. In addition to his teaching duties, Kennedy is the co-director of Georgia Tech's Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy.
