The main purpose behind this name change is to better signal to both internal and external stakeholders the school’s unique identity and mission of security-focused graduate education on emerging challenges in Great Power Competition, regional security, U.S./allied strategy, and homeland security, while carrying out research on topics critical to U.S. national and allied defense. 

The units in IDS include: the Department of National Security Affairs (chaired by Maria Rasmussen), the International Graduate Program Office (directed by Dino Pick), and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (directed by Glen Woodbury) and the Center for Security Cooperation Support (directed by Remo Payson).  The school also operates the Regional Security Education Program (headed by Steve Loeffler). Consistent with its mission, IDS provides a critical service to the Navy and other services in educating their Foreign Area Officers.  

 IDS’s wide range of security and defense-relevant curricula provide both resident and distance-learning students with advanced knowledge that seeks to identify and address current and emerging international and domestic security challenges. Hosting a world-class faculty—many with foreign-language capabilities and extensive international experience—IDS provides timely, relevant, flexible, defense and security-focused graduate education to the Navy, other U.S. services, DOD civilians, and allied officers. IDS also conducts extensive mobile education on regional security to the Navy and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.  Finally, IDS has become the Navy’s leader in education on contemporary Great Power Competition, offering in-residence and distance-learning courses, certificates, and relevant degrees.

IDS is forging new partnerships across campus (with new joint M.S. degree in strategy and technology in cooperation with the Space Systems Academic Group) and with external partners (including new DL offerings for various Navy commands and USSTRATCOM).  The school will continue to pursue intellectual leadership in FAO education, security cooperation, and regional defense and security studies to bolster NPS’s strengths in science and technology. 

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