The Department of International Security Studies develops senior leaders who can evaluate today’s complex, interdependent, and dynamic international system; develop and assess competing strategies for securing national objectives that integrate joint military, multinational, and multi-agency instruments of power; assess the context and content of the processes used in planning US national security policies; and be prepared to work effectively in the national security decision making arena. Our curriculum consists of three courses: National Security and Decision Making (NS-DM), Regional and Cultural Studies (RCS), and Global Security (GS).

The National Security and Decision Making (NS-DM) course assesses America’s National Security Strategy, threats the United States faces from both state and non-state actors, and the instruments of power the United States has at its disposal to implement its National Security Strategy. The course also evaluates the actors, structures, and processes involved in the national security decision making process, examining bureaucratic politics, the psychological aspects of decision making, the interagency process, the intelligence community, Congress, interest groups, think tanks, public opinion, civil-military relations, and the politics of planning, developing and acquiring military forces.

The Regional and Cultural Studies (RCS) course provides the students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of regional and cultural issues through an in-depth study of the security issues facing one of approximately 13 different areas of the world. The program includes a classroom component of focused academic preparation as well as a field studies component that allows the students to discuss security issues with senior political, military, diplomatic, economic and academic leaders in the region itself.

The Global Security (GS) course examines the security challenges facing the United States and its allies on a global basis. The course uses a comparative approach and is mainly devoted to a region-by-region study of the international security system that identifies emerging security challenges, assesses the political and economic currents that influence regional security conditions, examines the role that state and non-state actors play in regional politics, and analyzes power politics on a regional basis. The GS course follows and capitalizes on the student experience from their RCS academics and field study.

For descriptions of individual courses, see AWC Catalog AY12

Faculty

Col Jeff Smith - Department Chair
Dr. Chris Hemmer - Department Deputy Chair
COL Fred Manzo, Jr., USA - RCS Director
Dr. Gabriel Aguilera
COL Shawn Allen, USA
Dr. Stephen F. Burgess
Col Deborah A. Cafarelli
CAPT William (Bill) Carney, USN
Dr. Christopher Carr
Dr. Mark E. Duckenfield
Dr. Lawrence E. Grinter
Dr Amit Gupta
Dr. Grant T. Hammond
Dr. Nori Katagiri
Mr. Christopher J. Keast
Dr. Jim Seroka
Dr. David S. Sorenson
Col Charles F. Spencer, Jr.
CDR Clem Tanaka, USN