Missouri State University’s School of Defense and Strategic Studies (DSS) is celebrating a landmark moment in its history.

In 2005, the school relocated its facilities from the Springfield campus to the Washington, D.C., area. The DSS program moved from California to then Southwest Missouri State University in 1987.

Now, the school is celebrating 20 years in D.C. with a special issue of its online journal, Defense & Strategic Studies Online (DASSO). The issue focuses on DSS—its history, founder, programs and trajectory—in five short articles:

• Christopher Ford offers an overview of DSS with a special emphasis upon DSS’ unique “flavor” and focus, from its origins at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1971 to the present day.
• DSS Director John Rose provides an essay on his personal journey with DSS and his reflections about the School’s growing roster of programming.
• Former DSS Director Keith Payne, the man who brought DSS to Washington, D.C. two decades ago, looks back across the program’s history.
• J.D. Crouch, both a former DSS student and a professor with the program at MSU, provides his reflections on the program and, in particular, founder William Van Cleave.
• Christopher Ford provides an account of the unique background in national security affairs of DSS’ current faculty.

In addition, DSS will hold an open house on Oct. 3 in its new office suite in Arlington, Virginia.

“DSS is delighted with its new facilities,” said Dr. Christopher Ford, DSS faculty member and editor of DASSO. “[We are] much closer to the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House and Congress.”

Read DASSO