Georgetown Security Studies Program

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.

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/

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!

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.

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!

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.

Please join the Security Studies Program for this upcoming CSS Speaker Series event, hosted by Prof Shay Miller, “If Two of Them Are Dead: Book Club with the Author, Gina Bennett.”

📅 THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
🎟️ Register with the link in our bio

About the Event: Gina M. Bennett, whose 35-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency included being the first to sound the alarm on Bin Laden's burgeoning global movement and whose persistent warnings before 9/11 were foundational, publishes her first fiction novel! Join SSP for book club hosted by Prof Shay Miller. This is a story for spy thriller and history fans, especially those seeking untold stories and those that reveal the secret lives of women under cover.

Please join us next week! This event is free to attend and open to everyone in the Georgetown community.

📅 TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 4:00 PM | Choke Point: Energy Markets and the Geopolitics of the Hormuz Crisis
🎟️ Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/choke-point-energy-markets-and-the-geopolitics-of-the-hormuz-crisis-tickets-1986218456872?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

About the Event: When oil flows stop, markets adjust and foreign policy shifts. This lecture examines how the threatened closure of the Strait of Hormuz - the world’s most critical energy chokepoint - has reshaped the strategic calculations of state and non-state actors, and how energy markets price in geopolitical risk. Drawing on the latest developments in the US-Iran conflict, Professor Modell explores how energy market disruptions translate into diplomatic pressure, military posturing, and hard policy choices.

Last month, the Center for Security Studies hosted a career panel featuring professionals from the U.S. government and the aerospace/defense tech community for a discussion on navigating these critical sectors. The speakers offered their diverse perspectives on potential career paths, essential skill sets, and the evolving relationship between private industry and national security agencies.

Special thanks to Mike Dempsey, O.C. Cantu, and Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. for sharing their expertise and providing such a practical evaluation of the professional landscape!

Find more CSS events at: https://events.georgetown.edu/css