IMSD Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
Who are the International Military Students
Who are the Fort Leavenworth Sponsors sponsors?
Am I the only one who is helping the International Military Student?
What is it like to sponsor an International Military Student?
These are just a few of the questions heard from prospective new sponsors. The International Military Student Division (IMSD) takes steps to prepare Fort Leavenworth volunteers to be Fort Leavenworth sponsors. We provide them briefings, a Sponsor Guide and a Culture Guide, a CultureGram on the country, and background information on the International Military Student. We also discuss likely scenarios they may encounter, and offer support through the IMSD. The IMSD has a dedicated staff focused solely on the international community. We are prepared to assist at a moments notice.
Answers
Who are the International Military Students?
The host country selects the international military students to attend the Command and General Staff College based on U.S. Combatant Commander priorities. They are the elite in their armed forces chosen to attend CGSC because of their ability to aspire to higher positions. Approximately 1/3 of each class will attain general officer rank and others go on to the highest positions in their armed forces. Currently 211 International Military Students from 61 countries are members of the CGSC International Hall of Fame. Inductees are officers who reach the equivalent position of Chief of Staff of the Army.
Who are the Fort Leavenworth sponsors?
- Are they incoming CGSOC "Snowbird" students?
- Are they members of the CGSC staff and faculty?
- Do they come from other organizations on post?
- Are they retired military officers?
The correct response is "all four"
Am I the only one who is helping the International Military Student?
No. Each International Military Student also has a Leavenworth civilian sponsor provided by the Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce, a Kansas City civilian sponsor provided by the Greater Kansas City Area People-to-People Organization, and a Student Ambassador who will be a U.S. student classmate.
The sponsor meets the International Military Student at the airport and assists him/her in getting settled in the local area. Then the sponsor provides the visiting family with a valuable point of contact that the family can turn to for answers to simple questions like "Where do a go to have my electricity turned on?" or "Where do I go to get my drivers license?"
In general, they need a kind hand to help get them acquainted and established once they arrive. The goal is to help the International Military Student feel welcome and at home just like you if you were to move to a foreign country. In time, the international military student and family become rather independent once acclimated to our way of life and established with a home and a vehicle to get around. The only lasting link, following the demands of arriving and unpacking inherent with any PCS move, is the lasting friendship developed between your families.
The IMSD invites the sponsors to join the International Military Students at several functions during the school year.
What is it like to sponsor an International Military Student?
Try to imagine moving to a foreign country without a U.S. military base close by. Think of what you would need to do to establish you and your family in the community. Find housing, open a bank account, obtain a driver's license, buy a car, purchase car insurance and register it. Sponsors assist with those tasks.
Sponsors learn as they go. At the end of the school year they have a friend. Talk to other sponsors, read about the program. We encourage you to do this. We publish a "Sponsor Guide." But what we really what you to do is to join this unique intercultural experience by becoming a sponsor.
Visit the IMSD Sponsor page or for more information, contact the International Military Student Division at 913-684-7323.