The College of International Security Affairs

🎉 ACES 2026 | Celebrating 50 Years of NDU

As the Defense University marks its 50th anniversary, we invite alumni from across the NDU family to join us in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 31 August–4 September 2026 for the Alumni Continuing Education Seminar (ACES).

This year's theme, Enduring Partnerships | Shared Strength, reflects the relationships that have defined NDU since its founding in 1976. ACES 2026 will bring together alumni from all NDU colleges to reconnect, learn, and engage with today's most pressing security challenges.

Plenary sessions will explore:

✔ Strengthening Ourselves, Strengthening Each Other
✔ The Future of Irregular Warfare
✔ Resourcing Security
✔ A Revolution in Military Affairs

For 50 years, NDU has prepared leaders to address complex global challenges. Join fellow alumni in Seoul as we celebrate that legacy and continue building the partnerships that will shape the future.

🔗 Application: https://ndu.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRoWaHkAzh7Hbb8

💲 Program fee: $500

❓ Questions? [email protected] | +1 202 330 3643

We are incredibly proud of our 56 CISA McNair Class of 2026 graduates!

Congratulations, and we wish you the best of luck as you begin this next chapter! 🎓🦅

📢 Join the CISA Team | Assistant/Associate Professor Opportunity

The College of International Security Affairs (CISA) is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor for our Joint Special Operations Master of Arts Program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the education and development of current and future leaders in irregular warfare, strategic competition, and international security.

🗓️ Application deadline: June 26
🔗 Apply through USAJobs: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/872679500

For questions about the program, please contact Associate Dean Carolyne Davidson:
📧 [email protected]
📞 (910) 396-0717

Please share widely with your networks and help us identify outstanding candidates for this important role!

We are incredibly proud of our 48 CISA JSOMA Class of 2026 graduates!

Congratulations, and we wish you the best of luck as you begin this next chapter! 🎓🦅

A message from the Office of the Chancellor:

As we approach the anniversary of , we reflect on a lesson that remains as relevant today as it was on June 6, 1944:

"The success of depended not only on conventional military power, but also on irregular warfare.

Years before Allied forces landed in Normandy, the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) built networks capable of sabotage, intelligence collection, guerrilla warfare, and resistance operations across occupied Europe. Prior to the invasion, they delivered weapons, radios, explosives, and funding to resistance groups. In the weeks surrounding D-Day, resistance fighters sabotaged rail lines, disrupted communications, ambushed convoys, and slowed the movement of German reinforcements toward Normandy.

We are the inheritors of their legacy – and their irregular warfare mindset is what we attempted to engender in you over the last 10 months."

Read the full reflection from Chancellor Olson on the enduring relevance of D-Day's irregular warfare legacy here:https://cisa.ndu.edu/Portals/76/%7BFINAL%7D%20D-Day%20Write%20Up.pdf

🦅🎓 Alumni Spotlight | LTC Freddy Eras Quirola

LTC Freddy Eras Quirola, Ecuador Army, CISA Class of 2025, participated as a speaker at the Conference of American Armies at West Point, New York, on the topic of "Transnational Organized Crime and Its Implications for the Strategic Security and Defense of the CAA member Armies."

He thanks CISA for providing him with the tools to present on this matter of irregular warfare within the context of the non-international armed conflict that Ecuador is currently experiencing.

CISA extends its warmest congratulations and celebrates this achievement alongside the entire NDU community. 👏

🎉 Applications for ACES 2026 are now OPEN to all International and American NDU alumni! We are excited to announce that we will be hosting ACES 2026 in Seoul, Republic of Korea from 31 August to 4 September 2026. The theme for this year's seminar is Enduring Partnerships | Shared Strength. ACES 2026 is your chance to reconnect with classmates, learn from expert faculty and subject matter experts, and strengthen the bonds that tie our community together. We look forward to welcoming you back!

🔗Application: https://ndu.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRoWaHkAzh7Hbb8
💲 Program fee: $500
❓ Questions? Send them here: [email protected] or contact +1 202 330 3643.

Join us for the next installment of the CISA Roundtable – How to Get Your Work Published

🗓 Wednesday, April 22 2026, 12:00 -1330 (EST)
Marshall Hall 155 | Microsoft Teams

Join us in-person or online for a discussion on how to navigate the process to get your original ideas and work published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Our expert panel is comprised of the Editor in Chiefs from PRISM: The Journal of Complex Operations, Joint Force Quarterly (JFQ) and Combating Threats Exchange (CTX). The panel members will overview their respective journals and research areas of focus. This event will shed light on the publication process to help students best prepare their potential ideas and then navigate the review process.

🔗 Click here to RSVP: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thecollegeofinternationalsecurityaffairs/2157741

SAVE THE DATE! To all National Defense University alumni – both international and U.S.

The Alumni Continuing Education Seminar (ACES) will take place 31 August – 4 September in Seoul, South Korea!

Engage with experts on topics such as Security and Development, The Future of Irregular Warfare, Resourcing Security, and Joint Warfighting & the Revolution in Military Affairs.

Network with senior leaders from around the globe, celebrate new International Fellows Hall of Fame inductees, and participate in unique cultural excursions.

If you're interested in attending, please fill out this survey: https://ndu.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a5fzvI3NPltVWVU

Start reaching out to your classmates! Tag a fellow alum you want to learn alongside again in Seoul.

Follow us for more updates! Any questions? Email us at [email protected]

Now accepting nominations for CISA's Alumni Executive Board’s Awards! 🏅

The CISA Alumni Executive Board is proud to launch its second edition of the annual awards program — and we need your help! Nominate a deserving individual from within the CISA community for one of three awards recognizing excellence in leadership, service, and innovation:

✨ CISA Alumnus of the Year: Nominate a CISA alum
🌍 Leadership & Service Award: Nominees can include a current CISA student, alumnus/nae, faculty, or staff member
🧠 Innovation & Strategic Thinking Award: Nominate a current CISA student

These awards honor those who have made meaningful contributions to the mission of CISA, the university, and the global security community. Self-nominations are allowed.

📩 Submit your nomination here: https://forms.gle/GyimhN5gK9z4MRCL6

❓ Questions? Contact LTC Mike Karlson (CISA JSOMA Class of 2019) at [email protected].