WESTERN HEMISPHERE INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY COOPERATION

 

Opened in January 2001, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) is located on Fort Benning, Georgia. WHINSEC is a U.S. Department of War security assistance command, designated as an “Other Service Intermediate Level Command College”. WHINSEC supports the Joint Force by providing Professional Military Education (PME) and training to military, police, and civilian personnel from throughout the Western Hemisphere. WHINSEC delivers approximately 40 iterations of 16 resident courses annually. During the past 25 years, over 37,000 students have graduated from WHINSEC. They come from most Organization of American States (OAS) member nations but have also included select Partner Nations from the South Pacific and Europe. Partner Nation graduates from WHINSEC in many cases eventually serve at the most senior echelons of their respective defense and security forces throughout the hemisphere – including Ministers of Defense, Chiefs of Defense, and Service Chiefs. In every course, WHINSEC includes modules on ethics, civil and human rights, democratic governance, the military’s role in a democratic society, and civilian control of the armed forces. WHINSEC is home to the only Spanish-language versions of the Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC) as well as the Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC). In January 2026, WHINSEC transitioned to the auspices of the U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC).