Press | Clements Dispatch

The Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alexandra Sukalo to lead the University’s Intelligence Studies Project (ISP). ISP was established in 2013 as a joint venture of the Clements and Strauss Centers out of a conviction that the…

The Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and School of Civic Leadership are pleased to announce that Robert D. Kaplan, the renowned foreign affairs correspondent and author, will be joining The University of Texas at Austin as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Kaplan will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, participate in our public…

We’re thrilled to celebrate Aarushi Garg, our research fellow, for being awarded this year’s Bonfire Scholarship! Established in 2000, the scholarship honors Longhorns who stood united with Aggies after the tragic 1999 bonfire collapse. Aarushi is being recognized for her leadership, her work in international and global affairs on campus, and her research and fellowships…

We are proud to announce that Dr. Jaganath “Jay” Sankaran has been awarded a competitive grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the interdisciplinary research project, “How Are Modern Technologies Affecting Nuclear Risks?” About the Research Dr. Sankaran has partnered with Dr. Jaworek, the Director of the Nuclear Policy Program in the Nuclear Threat Initiative, to examine the…

Applications are now open for the 2026 Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft! Policymakers frequently attempt to draw on historical knowledge to gain perspective on contemporary national security issues. Meanwhile, historians and other scholars frequently comment on present-day decision-making problems and sometimes aspire to influence policy debates. Yet policymakers and scholars generally occupy separate intellectual…

Post-Doctoral Fellowship: The Clements Center offers post-doctoral fellowships to recent Ph.D. recipients to live and work in Austin, Texas. Fellows will spend the substantial portion of their time working on their own research and writing projects, while taking advantage of the many academic resources available here at the University of Texas-Austin. The fellowship offers a competitive stipend,…

The America in the World Consortium at Duke University, Johns Hopkins SAIS, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Florida seeks applications from current Ph.D. students for its Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.  The America in the World Consortium (AWC) is a dynamic partnership of universities seeking to create a more vibrant…

On September 11, 2025, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Intelligence Studies Project hosted a panel discussion entitled “9/11: What Happened, and What It Means Today.” Held in the William C. Powers Student Activity Center Ballroom, the event brought together some of UT’s most distinguished…

Take a look back at our summer programming and see what we have in store for this fall semester.

The Clements Center for National Security is honored to announce a $10 million endowment from the William P. Clements Foundation. This generous gift secures the long-term future of the Center and strengthens our mission to prepare the next generation of leaders in national security and public service. The endowment will support our expanding academic and…

The Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project is pleased to congratulate the winners of the 11th annual Inman Award competition that recognizes outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security.   The recipient of this year’s Inman Award is Dr. Jennifer Smith-Heys (Colonel, USA), who recently earned her PhD in Public Policy from George Mason…

The Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project hosted the sixth Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA) from May 11 to 20, 2025 in the National Capital Area. The TIA 2025 cohort comprised 15 UT-Austin undergraduate students. Students participated in lectures, exercises, and discussions with current and former professionals on intelligence collection, analysis, espionage, geospatial intelligence, measurement and signature intelligence, signals intelligence, covert…

The Clements-Strauss Asia Policy Program at the University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a one-day professional development workshop on “China and National Security,” to be held at UT’s Archer Center September 19. Early-career national security and foreign policy professionals who want to deepen their expertise on the most pressing national security challenges involving…

For over a decade, the Clements Center has proudly convened its annual Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft in Beaver Creek, Colorado, a weeklong program devoted to learning, thoughtful discussion, and networking.  This year’s highly selective program brought together twenty-three students from premier universities in the U.S. and abroad, including Boston University, Clemson University, Columbia…

This year, the Clements Center introduced the first iteration of our South Korea May Term: America in the Pacific – American History, Strategy, and the Future of the Indo-Pacific Region. Conducted entirely in South Korea, the program offered twenty UT Austin undergraduate students the opportunity to visit significant landmarks in Korean history and culture, meet with…

This year marked our tenth annual London May Term: The U.S. and U.K: Past Present and Future of the Transatlantic Alliance. From 2015 to 2025, we have partnered with the renowned War Studies Department at King’s College London to bring twenty undergraduate students from UT-Austin to the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium to study the…

Take a look back at the last semester in our Spring 2025 Newsletter!

On April 24th and 25th, the Clements Center for National Security, the UT-Austin Department of History, and the America in the World Consortium hosted the conference “Cold War 2.0? Power and Prudence: Lessons of the Cold War for the 21st Century” in Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School for Public Affairs. As great power…

The Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project of The University of Texas at Austin announces the 11th annual competition recognizing outstanding student research and writing on topics related to intelligence and national security. The winner of the “Inman Award” will receive a cash prize of $5,000, with two semifinalists each receiving a cash prize of $2,500. This competition is…

Faculty Fellow and Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Dr. Joshua Busby’s research with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has given insight on a number of US foreign policy issues. Dr. Busby research included surveying over 450 foreign policy opinion leaders prior to the 2024 election, with questions targeting foreign policy issues including ongoing global conflicts, US…

On January 27, 2025, the LBJ School of Public Affairs proudly celebrated several new faculty recipients of prestigious chair and professorship titles, honoring their exceptional contributions to public policy research, teaching, and leadership. Among those recognized were Vice Admiral Joe Maguire, Executive Director of the Clements Center, and James “Paul” Pope, Senior Fellow of the…

On Friday, January 24, the Clements Center for National Security and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, in partnership with American in the World Consortium and Austin PBS, hosted a conference on the importance of active American engagement, titled “Engagement over Retreat: The Bipartisan History of American Leadership.”  Clements Center Executive Director, Admiral (Ret.) Joe Maguire, opened the event…

In his article “How to Transform the Army for Drone Warfare,” Lieutenant Colonel Neil Hollenbeck argues that the U.S. Army should establish provisional drone formations within existing divisions or corps to rapidly develop and integrate drone capabilities, rather than creating a separate Drone Corps, ensuring effective adaptation to modern warfare. Additionally, the article was selected…

This research will integrate engineering analysis, social science theories, and economic modeling to shed light on the potential economic and socio-political consequences of limited nuclear conflicts. Learn more about Dr. Sankaran here: https://lbj.utexas.edu/sankaran-jaganath

Take a look back at the last semester in our Winter 2024 Newsletter!

Texas National Security Review is seeking a Digital and Technical Manager to oversee all technical and digital aspects of the Texas National Security Review (TNSR) journal and the Horns of a Dilemma podcast. This role will manage the print and online editions of TNSR, ensure consistent and engaging social media and web presence, and coordinate…

On November 12th, the Clements Center, in partnership with UT Naval ROTC, hosted a 249th U.S. Marine Corps birthday celebration at the University of Texas Club.  The ceremony featured a color guard and brass quintet performance by the UT School of Music, followed by the traditional cake-cutting ceremony, where the oldest Marine passes the piece of cake…

Texas National Security Review (TNSR) is hiring an executive editor to help the lead one of the country’s premier journals on national and international security. This position collaborates closely with the leadership of the Clements and Robert Strauss Centers, along with the journal’s editor-in-chief, the chair of the editorial board, and both editorial and advisory…

On Saturday, October 27, Clements Center Undergraduate Fellows took a trip to the historic LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, TX. The day began with a guided tour of the ranch, where fellows explored the Junction School, LBJ’s birthplace, the show barn, and the family cemetery. Afterward, the group headed to downtown Fredericksburg for lunch at Eaker’s…

On October 24th, the Clements-Strauss Asia Policy Program co-hosted a two-panel event on Critical & Emerging Technology in the US-Korea Alliance with the Korea Economic Institute of America. During the event, panelists presented findings from their papers on US-Korea technology cooperation. The day began with brief introductions by Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Asia Policy Director, and Dr. Clint…

Applications are now open for the 2025 Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft! Policymakers frequently attempt to draw on historical knowledge to gain perspective on contemporary national security issues. Meanwhile, historians and other scholars frequently comment on present-day decision-making problems and sometimes aspire to influence policy debates. Yet policymakers and scholars generally occupy separate intellectual…

The America in the World Consortium at Duke University, Johns Hopkins SAIS, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Florida seeks applications from current Ph.D. students for its Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.  The America in the World Consortium (AWC) is a dynamic partnership of universities seeking to create a more vibrant…

The Clements Center offers predoctoral fellowships to advanced PhD students to live and work in Austin, Texas. Fellows will spend the substantial portion of their time working on their own research and writing projects, while taking advantage of the many academic resources available here at the University of Texas-Austin. The fellowship offers a competitive stipend, full use of…

UT-Austin’s Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project is now accepting applications from UT undergraduate students of all academic disciplines to participate in its 2025 Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA). The TIA is a competitive, all-expenses paid, intensive academic program focused on intelligence and national security. TIA 2025 will run from May 11 to 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The submission…

Take a look back at our summer programming and see what we have in store for this fall semester.