Photo By Sgt. Tracy R. Myers | Graduating students await to receive their master's degrees from the Mubarak Al...... read more read more
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KUWAIT CITY — Among a crowd of foreign military personnel wearing a multitude of different hats and uniforms, one U.S. Army officer, Maj. Robert Bonham, graduated from the Mubarak Al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College yesterday.
Bonham, a native of Shalersville, Ohio, participated in the U.S. Army’s Schools of Other Nations program to further his career as an Army officer.
As a graduate of the Mubarak Al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College or MAJCSC, he earned a master’s degree in military science.
The Army’s Schools of Other Nations program is a U.S. Army security cooperation program which aims to develop closer relationships between the U.S. and foreign armies. Bonham is grateful for the knowledge and kinship he took away from his educational experience.
“Having the chance to attend the Kuwait army staff college through the School of Other Nations was a rewarding experience personally and professionally,” he said. “I’ve developed lasting relationships with officers from across the globe. I have learned a great deal about how their militaries function and integrate nationally as members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and International Coalition.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council, a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries comprising of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, was established in 1981 to achieve unity among its members based on their common objectives and their similar political and cultural identities.
“The most unique facet of the course was the joint-multinational aspect,” Bonham said. “The majority of students were Kuwait officers from the Kuwait armed forces and Ministry of Interior, while the remaining students were from all military branches of Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan and GCC countries.”
This graduate-level course is 10 months long, and trains field-grade officers to perform as a member of a joint-multinational headquarters.
U.S. Army majors are required to complete intermediate level education as part of their professional military education, said Bonham.
“I saw this as a means to complete my ILE, broaden myself and represent the Army,” Bonham said. “This opportunity became available and I took it.”
Bonham received an educational experience that reached beyond the boundaries of a classroom.
“As part of our Regional Studies we traveled to Jordan and were able to visit their Staff College and training facilities,” he said.
This rewarding experience came also came with many challenges, said Bonham.
“Being the only American in the course, there were times when I found myself being asked what the U.S. position was on an issue and why our government was following one course of action over another,” Bonham said. “I realized that I am not just here as an Army officer, but I am also an ambassador for the citizens of the United States.”
After graduating from the MAJCSC, Bonham plans to keep on working to advance his Military career as a military police field grade-officer.
He will continue on to complete the next phase of his professional development at Fort Hood, Texas, were he is projected to hold a key developmental position at the 11th Military Police Battalion as the officer in charge of operations, Bonham said.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2014 06:49 |
| Story ID: | 133460 |
| Location: | KUWAIT CITY, KW |
| Hometown: | SHALERSVILLE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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