JHU SAIS Merrill Center for Strategic Studies

With just under 3 weeks until departure, we’re excited to share the website for the 2026 International Staff Ride, Liberation of Italy: Salerno to Rome. Explore the campaign background, recommended sources, participant logistics, & reflections from past SAIS WWII ISRs: salerno2rome.wordpress.com

2025 Fall Staff Ride – Harpers Ferry and Antietam A Personal Account of the Fall 2025 Staff Ride, by Co-Quartermaster Sophie Schoolen

Fall 2025 Domestic Staff Ride Co-Quartermaster Sophie Schoolen shares her experience organizing last September's trip to Harpers Ferry and Antietam: sophiaschoolen.substack.com/p/2025-fall-...

Thank you very much to all of you who donated to our 2025 Fundraiser, which raised over $160,000 from 95 donors! We are especially grateful to our two generous matching gift donors. We never cease to be inspired by what our community can accomplish. Thank you all for your dedication to our students!

Only a couple of days left to support our 2025 Fundraiser! This year, all gifts will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000, thanks to the generosity of fellow alumni. Make your gift by December 31 to help us reach 100 donors – any amount helps!
secure.jhu.edu/form/Strateg...

Flashpoint: A Path Toward Stability in the Western Balkans Dec 2, 2025

At last week's HFAC Europe Subcommittee Hearing on the Balkans, Senior Fellow @edwardpjoseph urged Members to seize the rare opportunity for a rupture of Serbia's relationship with Russia.

Written Hearing submissions:
docs.house.gov/Committee/Ca...
Hearing video:
www.youtube.com/live/b6OTytj...

2026 will mark the 25th iteration of the International Staff Ride! Join us on a trip down memory lane: www.merrillcenter.sais-jhu.edu/staff-rides-...

Share your favorite memories in the comments and tag us on your own photos!

Donate today to our 2025 fundraiser: secure.jhu.edu/form/Strateg...

On December 3, we were pleased to host Bob Simmons, Vice President at Boeing Defense, Space & Security Government Operations as part of our Defense Industry Speaker Series, which helps give SAIS students a better understanding of the changing defense industrial ecosystem.

Our Annual Fundraiser continues! The Merrill Center offers unique learning opportunities to SAIS students interested in strategy, statecraft, and security. We could not deliver these experiences to our students without you. Make your gift today! secure.jhu.edu/form/Strateg...

On May 10, 46 SAIS students, faculty, and guests travelled to Gettysburg, PA for our Spring Domestic Staff Ride. Participants walked the battlefield to study the decisions made during the battle, drawing out enduring lessons on leadership under fire, mission command, and the importance of terrain.

SAIS Students Experience Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico From April 4-5, 2025, 15 Johns Hopkins SAIS students participated in one of the most grueling initiatives of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies.

Read on to learn how a small group of our students, by experiencing 24 hours in the life of a Marine Officer Candidate, develop a better understanding of the realities of those at the “tip of the spear.”

sais.jhu.edu/news-press/b...