Missouri State University’s School of Defense and Strategic Studies (DSS) honored 25 new graduates in a spring commencement ceremony May 19, 2023, in Fairfax, Virginia.

Among the graduates was Jennifer L. Bradley, the program’s second doctorate graduate. Other graduates included members of the Air Force Institute of Technology, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, the Army Medical Corps, the U.S. Army Aviation Branch, a Major from the Australian Defense Force, and international graduates from Argentina, Iran and Ghana.

Ford delivers commencement address

During his commencement address, DSS faculty member Dr. Christopher Ford asked graduates to keep fighting and learning about ways to make the world more secure.

Ford compared a career in defense and national security to choosing ingredients for a smoothie drink. The ingredients can range from law or policy to international relations or military operations, but all of them can be blended into a successful career. To provide students with the necessary ingredients to frame a career in national security, Ford said, was DSS’s founding mission.

Additional speakers included General John P. Rose, director of the DSS program, and former Deputy Under Secretary for Policy in the Department of Defense, the Honorable David Trachtenberg, who is also a faculty member of the program.

About DSS

The Defense and Strategic Studies program was founded in 1971 at the University of Southern California under the direction of Dr. William Van Cleave. The program later moved to Missouri State University. Now, with facilities in Fairfax, Virginia, DSS continues to offer graduate level education in national and international security affairs and policymaking taught by professionals with practical experience in the defense and security fields.

Dr. John P. Rose contributed to this story. Photos by Donna Johnson.