About INSS

The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is a policy research and strategic gaming organization within the National Defense University serving the U.S. Department of Defense, its components, and interagency partners. The Institute provides timely, objective analysis and gaming events to senior decision makers and supports NDU educational programs in the fields of international security and defense policy. Through an active outreach program, including conferences, international exchanges, and publications, the Institute seeks to promote wider understanding of emerging international security challenges and defense policy options.

Established by the Secretary of Defense in 1984, INSS is comprised of four components: the Research Directorate, which analyzes global and regional security trends and frames national security policy and defense strategy options for senior decision-makers; the National Strategic Gaming Center, which develops and facilitates numerous strategic-level policy exercises and experiential learning activities for senior Executive Branch officials, the military combatant commands, Members of Congress, and various NDU educational programs; the Publication Directorate, which is responsible for the editorial development and production of a range of NDU Press publications, as well as Joint Force Quarterly (JFQ), published for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the Conference Directorate, which annually organizes several major symposia and supports more than 100 other conferences, seminars, and round-tables organized by the research staff. The Director of INSS serves concurrently as NDU Vice President for Research.

Organization

INSS operates under a charter from the Secretary of Defense and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director of the Joint Staff. It is organized around four major activities: research, strategic gaming, conferences, and publications. In addition to managing the varied programs, the INSS Director serves as the NDU Vice President for Research. The institute also hosts the Center for Counterproliferation Research.

The Research Directorate conducts studies of defense strategy and doctrine, conventional and strategic forces, and global and transnational security issues. It also analyzes strategic trends in Europe, Russia-Eurasia, the Middle East and Persian Gulf, the Asia-Pacific region, South Asia and the Americas and assesses the implications of such trends for national security policy. Other activities include research-related roundtables, conferences, workshops, and collaborative efforts involving both U.S. and foreign research institutes and officials.	The National Strategic Gaming Center(NSGC) conducts numerous strategic-level games, exercises, and simulations in support of the teaching objectives of NDU components, with the Crisis Decision Exercise as the capstone academic event. Gaming support is also provided to the combatant commanders, Joint Staff and war colleges. The center has extensive partnership and outreach programs, providing simulations to Congress, other government agencies, and various schools and colleges. Moreover, it is at the forefront of efforts to enhance interagency training, planning, and coordination for complex contingency operations.
The Conference Directorate organizes several major events each year on regional and global security issues. These meetings draw a diverse audience of scholars, practitioners, media, and the attentive public from the United States and abroad, and are a major element of the institute's outreach activities. Proceedings of symposia are provided to policymakers and published on the World Wide Web.	The Publication Directorate produces books, monographs, and occasional papers on national security strategy, defense policy, and national military strategy under the NDU Press imprint. These reflect the output of NDU research and academic programs as well as contributions by outside analysts and experts. It also produces Joint Force Quarterly, a professional military journal published by NDU since 1993 for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Center for Counterproliferation Research (CCR) focuses on the impact of the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons on U.S. national security and, in particular, on U.S. and allied military forces. It has a broad mandate for research, education, and outreach. Its work has contributed to the basic understanding of the implications of proliferation, as well as to meeting the challenge of fashioning effective responses. It has been hosted by INSS since its inception in 1994.	Telephone Contact Information: Office of the Director 202-685-3838 Research Directorate 202-685-3837 National Strategic Gaming Center 202-685-2400 Conference Directorate 202-685-3975 Publication Directorate - NDU Press 202-685-4210 - Joint Force Quarterly 202-685-4220 Center for Counterproliferation Research 202-685-4234