Georgetown Security Studies Program

09/04/2026

Please join us for the annual Kalaris Intelligence Conference!

This year's conference partners with the International Intelligence Historical Association and features academic paper presentations from intelligence historians under the theme, “Potentials and Limits of Intelligence." Join us on September 30 and October 1 on Georgetown’s Hilltop Campus in Copley Formal Lounge.

✅ Registration is open: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kalaris-intelligence-conference-2026-tickets-1998991350942?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Highlights include:
➡️Fireside Chat with Michael P. Dempsey, former acting Director of National Intelligence on September 30
➡️Career Fair exclusively for Georgetown University Students on October 1

GU students can register for the career fair here: https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/4e440419-1201-4f72-b2d7-138a71b7685a/employer_preview

07/29/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for the pre-screening of The Brink of War!

We're grateful to the film team and to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for partnering together to make this event a reality.

The discussion after the film rounded out the evening beautifully as we got to learn about how the movie came together and why its message is enduring to this day. Special thanks to the panelists for the enlightening discussion.

The Brink of War hits theaters on August 14. This new feature film, starring Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, and J.K. Simmons, tells the story of the Cold War’s fraught final years and those tense days in Reykjavik, when the world stood closer to peace, or annihilation, than ever before, and two leaders found the courage to choose dialogue over destruction.

07/17/2026

Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Nuclear Policy Program and Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies for a sneak preview screening of The Brink of War. This new feature film starring Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, and J.K. Simmons, tells the story of the Cold War’s fraught final years and those tense days in Reykjavik, when the world stood closer to peace, or annihilation, than ever before, and two leaders found the courage to choose dialogue over destruction.

Register to attend: https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/07/film-screening-the-brink-of-war

The film's writer and director Michael Russell Gunn and producer Tyler Zacharia will sit down with the Carnegie Endowment’s George Perkovich and Georgetown University’s Keir Lieber, to discuss the impact of the Reykjavik Summit and the treaties that followed, and what lessons can be learned as Russia and the United States enter their next nuclear chapter following the expiration of the New START treaty. The conversation will be moderated by Julia Ioffe of Puck. A light reception will accompany the screening.

06/02/2026

Interested in SSP? Visit us this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 - 1:00 PM. All prospective students are welcome–come and get a real feel of what it is like to be an SSP student on the Hilltop.

Register for a Summer Visit @ SSP: https://gradapply.georgetown.edu/portal/ssp_appointments

After a brief welcome and Q&A with an Admissions Director, you will go on a campus tour with one of our Admissions & Alumni Fellows who will share more on their student experiences, inside and outside of the classroom, and answer any questions about life on the Hilltop.

05/14/2026

For two decades, Professor John Gordon IV has brought to SSP a rare combination of operational experience and rigorous analytical scholarship. A U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service before he joined the RAND Corporation in 1997, Gordon has grounded every seminar in the hard realities of military operations, counterinsurgency doctrine and national defense policy.

This is Gordon’s final semester at SSP, closing a remarkable chapter after 20 years of service to the program and its students. Hoya Saxa, Professor Gordon.

Check out Brett Benedict's (SSP‘26) article celebrating Professor Gordon's tenure at SSP: https://sfs.georgetown.edu/news/bridging-theory-and-practice-celebrating-professor-john-gordons-20-years-at-ssp/

05/07/2026

For the third year in a row, Georgetown’s Security Studies Program is proud to have a booth at the .ai Al+ Expo in Washington, DC.

Stop by Booth #1220 (near the Drone Competition) to meet the team, grab some swag, and learn more about SSP!

04/29/2026

04/22/2026

Our latest CSS Speaker Series covered fact, fiction, and everything in between when discussing “If Two of Them Are Dead,” Prof. Gina Bennett’s new novel. Thank you to Prof. Shay Miller for moderating this SSP “book club,” and thank you, Prof. Bennett, for letting SSP be one of your first stops for speaking about the book!

“If Two of Them Are Dead” tells the story of two spies living 250 years apart as they team up to save America. Ruth, a contemporary CIA counterintelligence officer hunting down a mole no one believes exists, teams up with Agent 355 from the Revolutionary War spy ring. After accidentally changing historical events, Ruth returns to the present time to find herself in the British States of America, working for MI7, and uncovering clues to her real-life mole hunt. Now her challenge is finding a way to fix her mistake in 1780 and bring back the United States.

04/20/2026

Our team took home third place in the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI)'s 2026 Undergraduate Strategy Competition in Florida! The team presented a strong Arctic Strategy.

Already looking forward to next year!

04/17/2026

Earlier this week, Professor Scott Modell led a timely CSS Speaker Series on the latest developments in the US-Iran conflict. The conversation explored energy market disruptions and how they translate into diplomatic pressure, military posturing, and hard policy choices.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Thank you to all who attended for the thoughtful and lively discussion.