The Institute for Defense and Business Concludes Governance and Economics Conference for Marines of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier today, the Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) (II MEF (Fwd)) completed a Governance and Economics Conference in Research Triangle Park, NC.  The conference, developed and delivered by the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) through its Center for Stabilization and Economic Reconstruction (CSER), gave the II MEF (Fwd) leadership the opportunity to discuss governance and economic issues with senior members of a wide range of U.S. government agencies, allied partners and international organizations.  Ambassador (ret.) David Litt, Executive Director of CSER, chaired the event.

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The Governance and Economics Conference is part of a pre-deployment program designed to prepare the 20,000 Marines, sailors, allies, and civilians assigned to II MEF (Fwd) for their upcoming deployment and any future world contingencies.  II MEF (Fwd) is currently slated to replace I MEF (Fwd) based out of Camp Pendleton, CA in Afghanistan next spring.

The conference, which started on November 29, was designed to prepare II MEF (Fwd) to support the development of the Afghan government's capacity and ensure political, economic and diplomatic progress in the country.  The conference included discussions on reintegration and reconciliation, relationships between the military and civilian organizations, economic development, United Nations' programs, community engagement and transitioning to the Afghan Government.

A total of 37 speakers, representing the diverse range of organizations involved in Afghanistan, presented at the conference including:

• Amb (Ret) Ronald Neumann, President, American Academy of Diplomacy
• Governor Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand Province, Afghanistan
• Mr. Steven Kraft, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
• Mr. James DeHart, Director, Office for Afghanistan, U.S. Department of State
• Mr. Paolo Galli, Deputy Director, Washington Office, United Nations Development Program
• Mr. Derek Hogan, Senior Advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Mr. Jon Moss, Senior Manager, Coffey International Development Ltd.
• Ms. Leslie Schweitzer, Member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Afghanistan
• Mr. Nick Dowling, President, IDS International
• and Mr. Jim Hake, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Spirit of America

The IDB has delivered pre-deployment conferences for Army and Marine Corps units heading to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2006. The Department of Defense's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations is the DoD proponent for these conferences.  The IDB worked in partnership with the prime contractor, Booz Allen Hamilton, in delivering this conference for the DoD.

The Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) is a non-profit research and education institute formed in 1997 by UNC-Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina. The IDB offers a series of educational programs for the military, government, non-governmental agencies, and private industry, in the areas of logistics, operations, life cycle management, organizational change, and economic stabilization. For further information contact Mr. Jason Barber at [email protected].

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Ambassador David Litt

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=93370

CONTACT: Maya Zumwalt of IDB, +1-919-969-8008, [email protected]

SOURCE Institute for Defense and Business

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