DSS doctoral student Zachary Popovich talks with John DiPirro, currently Senior Fellow for Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council and one of America’s top experts on the Black Sea region’s complex interplay of contested borders, economic potential, and longstanding tensions. Popovich and DiPirro take a country-by-country tour covering recent developments, including the August 2025 peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan and its associated “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” Listen in and get up to speed on one of the world’s most fascinating regions.  

Here's a link to DiPirro’s argument for adding a Russian containment component to US strategy more broadly in Central Asia: Rethinking Central Asia | American Foreign Policy Council

Additional Details on the Fall of Saigon–

The Story Behind the Fall of Saigon’s Most Iconic Photo 

https://www.history.com/articles/fall-of-saigon-photo-helicopter-evacuation-rooftop-1975  

The Fall of Saigon, April 30, 1975: The end of the Vietnam War 

https://apimagesblog.com/historical/2020/4/24/the-fall-of-saigon-april-30-1975-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war  

Nguyen Nguyen’s Book Recommendations–

Nguyen Book Recommendation 1: The Vietnam War, by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33512518-the-vietnam-war  

Nguyen Book Recommendation 2: The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57007687-the-bomber-mafia  

Nguyen Book Recommendation 3: Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis, Bing West 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46037714-call-sign-chaos  

The Deterrence School podcast examines the rapidly changing character of war in Ukraine through the lens of drones, counter-drone technology, and artificial intelligence. Doctoral student Paul Dodge hosts Michael Hochberg, Ph.D., a technology expert, serial entrepreneur, and national security consultant. With an MS and a Ph.D. from Caltech in applied physics, Dr. Hochberg is a highly distinguished expert that is well positioned to help navigate this complex topic. Dr. Hochberg is also the President of Periplous LLC, which advises on strategy, technology, and policy (https://www.periplo.us/), and is the chairman of the board at the Mackinder Forum focused on geopolitics (https://mackinderforum.org/).

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Paul Schecklman, DSS Doctotal Student at Missouri State, sits down for a discussion with Wilson Rickerson from Converge Strategies. Paul and Wilson talk through the issues facing the grid, generation, and future demands or issues. Much of today's attention is focused on the defense industrial base to supply the war materiel necessary to deter and defend American interests. Less attention is spent on powering such effort in parallel with increasing electricity demand from compute, reshoring, and general electrification. Tune in to hear more about how the U.S. needs to ensure it can power a future fight.

Wilson Rickerson is the President and Co-Founder of Converge Strategies, where he leads efforts to strengthen the resilience and security of America’s energy systems. He works across the military, government, utilities, and emergency management communities to address risks ranging from cyber threats and extreme weather to aging infrastructure and geopolitical disruption, and has supported resilience planning for more than 100 military installations. Previously, Wilson served as CEO of Meister Consultants Group, shaping energy and resilience strategies across all 50 states and in over 40 countries.

About Converge Strategies- Converge Strategies provides consulting services focused on the intersection of energy resilience and national security. Our mission is to connect and align the people and organizations required to strengthen the resilience of our communities and infrastructure.

Check out more from Rickerson and Converge Strategies-

Converge Strategies LinkedInRickerson’s LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter

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As artificial intelligence transforms the information environment, doctoral candidate Adam Shusterman sits down with cyber threat intelligence and OSINT expert Glenn Borsky to explore the real world security risks of AI-generated content. From deepfakes and AI-driven influence campaigns to the emerging phenomenon of companion bots and the psychological vulnerabilities they may expose, this episode examines how adversaries are experimenting with new tools and what it means for national security in an era where the line between human and machine interaction is increasingly blurred.

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- 2022 National Strategy for the Arctic Region

- U.S. Department of Defense 2024 Arctic Strategy

- Implementation Report for the 2022 National Strategy for the Arctic Region 

DSS doctoral student Melissa Galazin talks with Derek Licina, Adjunct Professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and President of Health Security Catalyst. Licina is an internationally recognized expert in global health, medical services, and security cooperation. His executive-level experience in consulting and addressing health and security challenges has contributed to building partner capacity across Asia and the Middle East. In this episode, Galazin and Licina discuss global health as a critical component of national security, focusing on the strategic competition between the United States and China. They analyze the fundamentals of global health, its use as a form of soft power, and the challenges and opportunities facing the United States as it navigates strategic competition with China. Join us to explore one of the most underreported topics in national security.

Some of Licina’s recent primary or co-authored writings:

* “Progress Without Programs: Reforming U.S. Department of Defense Global Health Engagement for Economic and Strategic Advantage“ at

https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/06/20/progress-without-programs/

* “International Trauma Capacity Building Programs: Modernizing

Capabilities, Enhancing Lethality, Supporting Alliances, Building

Partnerships, and Implementing Reform” at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35104338/

* “The Implications of the New Security Environment on the National Health Systems Enterprise“ at https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/joint-force-quarterly/vol115/iss3/4/