The Coast Guard Reserve needs leaders who can think strategically, operate effectively across the joint force and understand how Reserve readiness supports national security.
The Reserve Components National Security Course, or RCNSC, held at the National Defense University in Washington, is a two-week, senior-leader seminar that gives eligible Reserve officers and senior enlisted members an opportunity to better understand the Reserve Component’s role in the nation’s defense. RCNSC brings together Reserve Component leaders, allied officers, interagency professionals and national security experts to focus on national security policy, defense resource management and joint operations.
Application
The fiscal year 2027 Reserve Senior Education and Fellowship Program panel will convene July 27-31 to select applicants for RCNSC.
Eligible applicants must hold a secret clearance and be in pay grade O-4 and above, W-4, or E-8/E-9. Prior RCNSC attendees are not eligible. Tentative fiscal 2027 course dates are:
The application deadline is July 10, 2026.
Members must apply through the Direct Access “Panel Submissions” module. Applicants should review ALCGRSV 018/26 for complete eligibility, application, endorsement and record review requirements.
A broader view of national security
RCNSC challenges students to move beyond daily mission execution and analyze complex national security problems from a whole-of-government perspective. Students participate in lectures, panel discussions, seminars and simulation exercises covering national security strategy, diplomacy, global economics, the legislative process, strategic communication, interagency coordination and political-military decision-making.
LCDR Ydania Matos, a Reserve Component manager assigned to Coast Guard District Southeast, said the RCNSC “takes Reserve leaders beyond the day-to-day mission and gives you a front-row seat to how global events, national security decisions and joint operations shape the future of our service and our country.”
“This is the highest value two weeks you will spend in the Reserve, hands down,” said LCDR Brendan Rogers, a RCNSC graduate who has also served as a seminar leader for the past two years. “Learning the joint language is vital to the future of our force. RCNSC will help you become fluent.”
Rogers said one of the course’s strongest features is that students actively work through complex, real-world scenarios rather than simply observe them. “It forces you to grapple with the complexity of the global security landscape and, most importantly, to engage in it by recommending and defending a whole-of-government operational strategy against a real-world scenario,” Rogers said.
That strategic perspective is critical as the Coast Guard continues to strengthen its ability to respond to contingencies, protect the Marine Transportation System, defend the homeland and operate as part of the joint force.
“The course expanded my perspective beyond daily operational execution and helped me better understand how policy, diplomacy, economics and military operations all work together to support national objectives,” Matos said.
A network that lasts beyond the course
One of the most valuable aspects of RCNSC is the professional network students build. Students learn alongside leaders from across the U.S. Reserve Components — including the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, as well as allied officers and interagency professionals. These relationships strengthen joint and interagency collaboration long after graduation. The conversations often reveal how much the Reserve Components have in common while also highlighting the unique value Coast Guard Reserve members bring to the joint force.
"What is striking is how much all of the Reserve Components from across the joint forces have in common," Rogers said. "We have many of the same challenges as reservists and yet, with limited training time, we bring unique outside experiences, maturity and force multiplication."
“The networking with sister-service members is absolutely invaluable,” said LCDR Adam Jaffe, who serves with Coast Guard Reserve Unit - Joint Staff South. “It will enable me to reach out to a specific person, with a specific skill set and experience level, that I can trust to assist me should the need arise.”
RCNSC also provides graduates two credit points toward Joint Qualification, according to the program website: https://rcnsc.ndu.edu/.
For questions about the program, contact the SEFP Program Manager, LCDR Jacqueline Bethel, at Jacqueline.M.Bethel@uscg.mil. For questions about the panel process, contact RPM-1 Boards and Panels at HQS-SMB-CGPSC-RPM-BoardsPanels@uscg.mil.
-USCG-
Resources: