January 2020 - the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Policy office directed USSOCOM, lead component for synchronizing Counter Threat Finance (CTF) activities, to develop a standard training program for CTF analysts. USSOCOM J35 partnered with JKO to develop a first of its kind online curriculum. The drivers for moving online were twofold: to standardize training and certification across the DoD enterprise and to mitigate escalating costs associated with in-person training.
The seven-module, 40-hour CTF curriculum, designed to be the DoD standard for CTF primary education, launched on JKO in July 2021.
Curriculum Content:
The Counter-Threat Financing certificate is designed to help protect the DoD from the ever-present and constantly evolving threat of terrorist financing. Participants will learn how terrorism trends develop, how terrorism is financed, and how financing can be blocked. You’ll gain a broad knowledge base, helping you to identify through situational awareness possible threats at the combatant command level and with interagency or nation partners in accordance with DoDD 5205.14 and other DoD CTF guidance.
| Curriculum Courses |
Curriculum Structure |
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- CTF Basic Course: Introduction
- Introduction to the CTF Mission
- CFT Activities
- CFT in Warfare
- CFT Partners
- CFT Actions And Activities
- Post Test
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- Seven-modules; 40 hrs. of CTF online courses
- Available 24/7 globally
- Introductory video featuring case studies and foundational principles
- Certificate of completion
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Curriculum Outcomes:
Following the progression of courses, students examine CTF fundamentals, capabilities, and methodology, to include CTF mission, communities of interest, CTF vs Threat Finance Intelligence (TFI), and CTF operations. Course material delves into the CTF enterprise and its mutually beneficial lines of support to the U.S. Interagency, and how collaborating with industry and academia further expand CTF operations, actions, and activities. Through readings, real-world examples, and knowledge checks, students gain understanding of threat finance, and countering it, exploiting intelligence, supporting operational planning, and understanding how to use CTF operationally.
We recently spoke with Mr. Kurt Gredzinski, USSOCOM J35 Counter Threat Finance, Strategic Competition Team Chief, to see how it was going a year later.
Over two thousand students have enrolled in the curriculum, accounting for approximately 90% of the community of interest. Feedback from participants is excellent, most frequently citing the depth of the content and the layout of the courses most favorably.
The curriculum is also being leveraged further than initially expected. Although not officially part of the ASI for the Army, the Army Finance Corps is using the curriculum as a pre-requisite in its training program.
USSOCOM continues working with JKO to refine the curriculum as they proceed to Phase II with updates driven by user feedback and new material.
You may also be interested in:
USSOCOM Counter Threat Finance (CTF) Advanced Course: Trafficking Overview (UNCLASSIFIED-FOUO)
Students: How to find and enroll in a JKO course or curriculum. See page 11 of the Student User Guide.
Trainers: How to assign and automate training to a specific group of JKO users.