Good afternoon!

For those of you I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting (which is pretty much everyone except for sixth year PhD candidates in these isolated times), my name is Mike Hunzeker and I'm an assistant professor at the Schar School / associate director of the Center for Security Policy Studies. (Those of you who do know me also know that I'm a purveyor of longwinded emails, so feel free to start skimming at any point.)

I digress.

The real point of my email is to let you know about two upcoming student events, both of which should be of particular interest to you if you a) are a student; b) study or are otherwise interested in national security issues; and/or c) would like to meet some of your classmates outside of the Zoom purgatory in which we routinely find ourselves these days*.

*One of these events is on Zoom. But at least you'll get to Zoom with a different crowd!

First up: In the 'before times' our Center used to take a group of students to the Gettysburg battlefield once a year. With that setup you'd think I was about to advertise a trip to Gettysburg. Sadly, I'm not. Because COVID. (We kind of figured it would be a tough sell to get 40 students to spend 8 hours shoulder to shoulder on the bus).

But CSPS doesn't stand for Center of Surrender Policy Studies, so we weren't about to throw in the towel!

Instead, our intrepid student fellows found a way to transform defeat into victory (because... grand strategy) by organizing our first ever CSPS Movie Nite! (Misspelling intentional). So join us as we replace "Gettysburg" with "Dr. Strangelove" and swap that poorly ventilated bus for socially distanced chairs in the Van Metre Multipurpose Room (in Arlington, not on Zoom) at 6:00 pm (1800 for you military types) on October 29th. Come to meet, greet, and hang out with classmates, friends, and fellow natsec nerds. Stay for a post-film discussion led by an actual nuke expert. A flyer with more details, including a high speed QR code to RSVP, is attached. If you're a middle-aged Luddite/curmudgeon like me, you can also use this link to RSVP (https://forms.gle/nF8SsuYU38P8RF2dA). And please don't forget that even though we're doing this shindig in a spaced-out, well-ventilated room, you'll still need to complete the Mason COVID screening thingy. I hope to see you there!*

*I live in Texas, so there is no way I'll see you there. But I still hope you'll attend.

Second: earlier this semester, CSPS launched a Defense 101 series for Schar students who wanted to learn more about how the Department of Defense works (and sometimes doesn't. Zing!) The goal is to offer a series of extracurricular, no stress, no barrier to entry classes that provide participants with important details about this complex, but important and influential, organization.

 :

Our next Defense 101 presentation is scheduled for Saturday, October 30th at 10:00 am (that's 1000 for you military types) on Zoom. Our very own PhD student Matt Costlow will discuss US nuclear and missile defense capabilities and posture. In addition to working on his Ph.D. at the Schar School, Matt is Senior Analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy and previously served as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy). This topic is more relevant than ever (cue wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth at China's recent hypersonic missile test). Please RSVP to Joe Petrucelli at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.


That's it. For now! (I'm neither concise nor particularly good at sticking the landing).


Best,


Mike



Michael Hunzeker, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government

Associate Director, Center for Security Policy Studies
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Twitter: @michaelhunzeker
Email:  [log in to unmask]
Website: csps.gmu.edu