CSE, directed by Professor Eliot Cohen, operates as an extension of the Strategic Studies Program and focuses on improving the teaching of security studies, military history and military affairs throughout the United States and overseas. Security-studies programs at university centers, government institutes and research centers flourished during the Cold War but have since ebbed. At the same time, though, the range of subjects that affect national security has increased.
Military forces engage in an expanding number of peacekeeping operations.
Frequent disputes arise over proper military responsibility and accountability. Rather than keeping pace with these changing security issues, American opinion leaders have less direct knowledge of national security than they did in the past. As a result, no clear decisions have emerged on what military forces to buy, the utility of overseas bases, how and when to use force to resolve disputes in the former Yugoslavia. To help the general public understand this new security environment and to prepare young scholars in the field, CSE has taken steps to improve both teaching methods and study materials. During its first year of operation the Center initiated a colloquium for national security studies educators to determine the needs of that community, published a guide for Internet research, and sponsored a faculty seminar on professional military education.