08/20/2026
ES New Strategic Presence Elective. This past academic year, the Eisenhower School introduced a new elective, "Strategic Presence: Leading with Influence in National Security," developed to fill an important need in the curriculum: helping senior leaders strengthen their ability to communicate, connect, and influence at the strategic level.
Although designed and led from the Eisenhower School, the elective was open to students across National Defense University's North Campus, bringing together leaders from the Eisenhower School, National War College, the College of Information and Cyberspace, and the College of International Security Affairs. That cross-college composition became one of the course’s greatest strengths, creating a rich learning environment shaped by diverse service, agency, functional, and international perspectives.
Strategic presence is more than public speaking. It is the ability to show up with credibility, clarity, emotional intelligence, humility, confidence, and purpose — especially in complex national security environments where leaders must influence across services, agencies, allies, partners, industry, and other key stakeholders.
Throughout the course, students examined how strategic leaders build trust, shape narratives, communicate with impact, lead difficult conversations, and align message with mission. They practiced translating expertise into influence and presence into strategic effect.
This work directly supports the broader aims of professional military education and national security leadership. The National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy call for leaders who can think clearly, communicate effectively, build partnerships, strengthen deterrence, and advance national objectives in increasingly complex strategic environments. Strategic presence is essential to that work.
What made this inaugural course especially meaningful was the caliber of the students. They brought candor, courage, reflection, and lived experience into every discussion. Their willingness to challenge themselves and one another demonstrated the kind of professional growth that prepares leaders not only to understand strategy, but to lead it.
At NDU, developing strategic leaders means preparing them to operate with insight, influence, and purpose. Strategic Presence contributes to that mission by helping students lead with credibility, communicate with impact, and build the trust required to move people, organizations, and missions forward.
Bravo Zulu to this outstanding group of leaders for helping bring this new course to life.