For more than four decades, the United States has used the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program as a foreign policy tool to pursue its geopolitical interests. The program, which consists of training foreign military personnel at American institutions, aims to strengthen alliances and regional stability, while advancing mutually beneficial security interests through military partnerships. Despite its geopolitical purpose, scholarship on the program's influence abroad remains limited. Existing research on the IMET program has primarily focused on the program's ability to promote democratic values and rule of law and its impact on military coups in recipient countries. The few studies that examine the program in relation with U.S. influence abroad have not paid attention to how completing the IMET program impacts the career advancement of participants after they return to their home countries. This is an important gap because the promotion of IMET graduates, both in ranks and to leadership positions, is critical to creating conditions for the United States to benefit geopolitically from the IMET program. To address this gap, the present study used a qualitative case study approach, primarily drawing on semi-structured interviews, to investigate how graduating from a U.S. staff college or war college impacted the career advancement of West African military officers. Findings revealed that the IMET program has an esteemed reputation among West African military officers, being viewed as one of the most renowned military education and training programs. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the program had transformative effects on participant's tactical and strategic thinking capabilities, leadership skills, and confidence levels. Although the IMET program alone did not guarantee promotion, the findings suggest that it enhanced participants' competencies, subsequently improving their chances of promotion post-graduation. Overall, this study uncovers a variety of ways through which the IMET program influences the career trajectories of foreign military officers, thus creating conditions for partnerships that may help to advance U.S. geopolitical interests. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]