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National Security Affairs Department

The National Security Affairs (NSA) department at U.S. Naval War College (NWC) is one of the nation's largest and most vibrant graduate teaching departments in the interdisciplinary field of national and international security studies. We provide professional education to mid- and senior-career students who are military and civilian national security professionals from the United States and more than 60 partner countries.

Chair, National Security Affairs Department

(401) 841-3540
841-3540

Graduate-Level Security Studies

The NSA department is one of three core departments at NWC and offers two courses that lead to the master's degree: national security decision making (NSDM) for senior-ranking students and theater security decision making (TSDM) for mid-ranking students. These eight-credit hour courses provide a broad interdisciplinary foundation in contemporary security studies including international relations, regional studies, foreign policy analysis and decision making.

National Security Decision Making Course

National Security Decision Making (NSDM) is designed to engage senior-rank students in the current and future complexities of a rapidly evolving national and international security environment. The course offers a broad interdisciplinary curriculum in contemporary security studies that encompasses a diverse spectrum of global and regional issues and perspectives, but with particular emphasis on U.S. decision making challenges and processes at the national strategic level.

NSDM Capstone Final Exercise (FX)

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National Security Affairs SLC Syllabus Cover

The NSDM course integrates concepts drawn from a number of disciplines including international relations, area studies, foreign policy analysis, leadership studies, and cognate fields. The course is designed to broaden strategic perspective while fostering critical thinking and analytic skills that will have lasting professional relevance long into the future.

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Theater Security Decision Making Course

Theater Security Decision Making (TSDM) is designed to engage intermediate-rank students in the complexities of today's national and international security environment with a strong emphasis on regional security issues. The course offers a broad interdisciplinary curriculum in contemporary security studies that encompasses a diverse spectrum of regional and global issues and perspectives, but with particular emphasis on U.S. decision making challenges and processes at the theater-strategic level of the geographic combatant commands.

TSDM Capstone Final Exercise (FX)

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National Security Affairs ILC Syllabus Cover

The TSDM course integrates concepts drawn from a number of disciplines including area studies, comparative politics, international relations, foreign policy analysis, decision making, management studies, and cognitive fields. The course is designed to develop strategic perspective while fostering critical thinking and analytical skills that that will have lasting professional relevance long into the future.

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Our Faculty

The department is first and foremost a teaching department where scholars and national security practitioners follow a curriculum that combines academic rigor with policy relevance. To further this, faculty participate in scholarly, policy and professional activities to ensure students have a learning experience that meets the needs of the Navy and the intent of the Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) system.

Here are recent selections of NSA faculty contributions to the broader national and international security discourse.

Faculty Books

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Faculty Articles

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Select Conferences (Organized and Chaired since 2016)

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Select Keynote Addresses and Testimony (Since 2017)

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See National Security Affairs Faculty

Faculty expertise spans multiple fields. To learn more, please use the link below to access the online directory.

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Featured Faculty

Faculty Directory
Hayat Alvi Profile Picture

Hayat Alvi

Associate Professor | National Security Affairs

Hayat Alvi joined the U.S. Naval War College in 2007. Previously, she served as an assistant professor in the Political Science Department at American University in Cairo from 2001-05 and as the director of the International Studies Program at Arcadia University from 2005-07. She specializes in international relations, political economy and comparative politics with regional expertise in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. She also specializes in Islamic studies and genocide studies. She is proficient in Arabic and Urdu and is a Fulbright Fellow (Syria, 1993-94). Alvi has published numerous articles, books and book chapters.

Publications by this Professor
Steven L Shinkel Profile Image

Steven L. Shinkel

Military Professor | National Security Affairs

Colonel Steve “Scuba” Shinkel joined the NSA Department in July 2017. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990. He is a Master Navigator, with over 3,200 hours in the KC-135 and has numerous operational flying deployments supporting operations across the Middle East, Europe, and the Pacific regions and served Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) positions. His most recent assignment was as the Chief of Staff for the 9th AETF-A & NATO Air Command-A, Kabul Afghanistan. Col Shinkel served as the AWC’s Chair of the Leadership and Warfighting Department. He is a distinguished graduate of the USAF Weapon’s School and served on faculty. He commanded the 734th AMS, Andersen AFB Guam.

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