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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 departments teaching foreign policy analysis and international security. 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

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Graduate-Level Security Studies

The NSA department is one of the 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 to analyze how the U.S. government makes foreign policy decisions and the role the U.S. plays in the world.

National Security Decision Making Course

National Security Affairs SLC Syllabus Cover

National Security Decision Making (NSDM) is designed to engage senior-rank students in the complexities of U.S. foreign policy and the international security environment at the national-strategic level.

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NSDM Capstone Final Exercise (FX)

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Theater Security Decision Making Course

National Security Affairs ILC Syllabus Cover

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 U.S. decision making challenges and processes at the theater-strategic level of the geographic combatant commands.

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TSDM Capstone Final Exercise (FX)

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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.

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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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Student Publications

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Featured Faculty

Faculty Directory
Joan S Johnson-Freese Profile Image

Joan S. Johnson-Freese

Professor | National Security Affairs

Dr. Johnson-Freese served as Chair of the National Security Affairs Department from 2002-2010. Previously she was on the faculty of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Air War College, and the University of Central Florida.

Publications by this Professor
Daniel McVay faculty photo

Daniel McVay

Military Professor | National Security Affairs

Lt. Col. McVay is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours in the C-17A and KC-135R/T. He most recently served as the deputy commander of the 22d Operations Group, McConnell AFB, Kansas. Previous to that position, he served as the commander, 22d Operations Support Squadron. He served on the Air Mobility Command Staff in multiple planning and programming roles. Additionally, he is a member of AMC's Phoenix Mobility fellowship program, designed to develop officers with a strong foundation in expeditionary mobility operations and senior leader responsibilities. Lt. Col. McVay graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval War College in June 2021.

Publications by this Professor

Featured Publications

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How Afghanistan Impacts the Ukraine Crisis

James L. Cook The National Interest

Improving Interagency Integration at the Operational Level

Ross Coffey Defense Technical Information Center

Turkey's Erdogan is Playing Political Poker

Hayat Alvi The Hill