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Doctoral Student of the Month - Chad Serena
 We are pleased to announce that Chad Serena is the first recipient of GSPIA's Matthew B. Ridgway Center "Doctoral Student of the Month" Award. Each month the Ridgway Center plans to recognize and highlight the accomplishments of one of our doctoral students.
Chad is a 4th year PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. His primary and secondary fields are Foreign and Security Policy and International Development Policy, respectively. Previously, he served as a military intelligence officer in the US Army at Fort Lewis, WA, holding positions in the Information Operations section of 1/25 SBCT and as a security and intelligence officer (S2) for the 29th Signal Battalion. He holds degrees in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) and Political Science (BA) from the University of Pittsburgh. Chad's dissertation focuses on organizational adaptation in Iraq and the attendant implications for defense policy. This work will examine the effects of the following in respect to the insurgency and counterinsurgency (COIN) in Iraq: the 21st century security environment; national security and defense policy and doctrine prior to and during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and; organizational adaptation at the tactical level. This work will conclude by juxtaposing this analysis against previous cases of U.S. involvement in COIN operations and future contingencies that may require a similar approach. Recommendations will be made for U.S. Army policy specifically and U.S. defense policy in general. Chad has been working at the Ridgway Center on a number of new initiatives. These initiatives include, but are not limited to, creating the foundation for an academic journal, titled 'The Bunker', that will highlight exceptional Security and Intelligence Studies (SIS) student work. These pieces will examine current and future national, regional, and global security issues chosen by the students. Their research will be facilitated by select faculty mentors. This journal will also include entries from Ridgway and GSPIA associated faculty and will have a short book review section examining recent scholarly work and classic pieces in the broader security field. Additionally, Chad has been aiding the genesis of student organized and led committees interested in regional security issues (Asia, Europe and Russia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa). These committees are the product of student initiative and will take advantage of their own collective strengths while leveraging the knowledge of the other committees, GSPIA and University faculty, and the resources of the various colleges, universities, and organizations in the region. |
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