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In September 2022, as this year’s entry in the Jack Kelly and Gail Weiss Lecture Series, the Notre Dame International Security Center was delighted and honored to welcome Avril Haines: Director of National Intelligence, and Amy McAuliffe: Assistant Director of CIA for Weapons and Counterproliferation to the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.  

In this blog, we’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to Mackenzie Nolan and discuss her experiences in our program and in the professional world. 

Of the places where this education can be attained, America’s War Colleges are among the most prestigious. In this blog, we explore the past, present, and future of the war colleges in the United States. 

Within the study of international relations (IR), there are many ideologies practitioners of this political science investigate and frequently find themselves gravitating towards, but realism in international relations is still one of the most dominant.

One of the highest levels of statecraft is grand strategy. Strategy in battle is crucial, but civilians are often asked to make sacrifices “for the cause.” 

The world needs innovators in the international security and international relations fields. Students all over the world understand this, so they look for an international security program to nurture their desire to make the world a better place.

For almost seventy-five years now, the National Security Act of 1947 has significantly impacted how Presidents develop and implement foreign policy, transforming not only America but the global community as well.

When a new Federal law creates or restructures government agencies, it’s not uncommon for the law to create a new role within that agency. Such was the case upon the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. The law, signed by President Truman in the wake of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, restructured the US military and intelligence agencies.

Los Alamos National Labs and Sandia National Laboratories were the centerpieces of The Notre Dame International Security Center’s (NDISC) Spring Break 2022 learning experience.  

Intelligence analysts are one of the most coveted international security jobs, playing a key role in national security and international relations. They compile data and information from multiple sources to assess threats and prevent attacks from external and internal enemies. Their number one priority is to ensure the safety of their country.  

There are multiple factors and institutions that help shape the foreign policy of the United States and that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is one of them.

With a political science degree, there is a wide range of career paths possible including international security jobs. Here is a look at just a few of the many positions international security scholars can pursue:

As an NDISC fellow, Emma Morrison '19, earned her degree in Political Science. Emma's held both intern and full-time positions at the House Committee on Armed Services and is now the Associate Director of Research and Analysis at the Defense Panel of the Special Competitive Studies Project.