DCAF Mission

The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) is one of the world’s leading institutions in the areas of security sector reform (SSR) and security sector governance (SSG).

DCAF provides in-country advisory support and practical assistance programmes, develops and promotes appropriate democratic norms at the international and national levels, advocates good practices and conducts policy-related research to make recommendations to ensure effective democratic governance of the security sector.

DCAF’s advantages are:

neutrality and impartiality;

the combination of strong operational capability with policy-oriented research;

flexibility and intergovernmental support;

expertise across the entire spectrum of SSR / SSG issues.

The Organisation

DCAF was established in 2000 by the Swiss government. DCAF is an international foundation with 50 Member States. DCAF’s main divisions are Research, Operations and Special Programmes. The staff numbers over 70 employees from more than 30 countries.