The DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation has proudly supported, since 2014, the Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy (AGS)—a flagship interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to better understanding U.S. foreign policy and national security, past, present, and future.
Preparing the Next Generation of Strategists
The program’s mission is to prepare the next generation of strategists by studying past generations and interacting with current strategic leaders. AGS is building a research community of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates who are committed to deepening their understanding of America’s role in the world.
As AGS Director Dr. Peter Feaver explains: “Grand strategy is the art of reconciling ends and means. It blends the disciplines of history (what happened and why?), political science (what underlying patterns and causal mechanisms are at work?), public policy (how well did it work and how could it be done better?), and economics (how are national resources produced and protected?). Students are especially drawn to grand strategy because it makes history more relevant, political science more concrete, public policy more broadly contextualized, and economics more security oriented.”
Dr. Feaver—a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke—founded the Program in American Grand Strategy and brings unparalleled expertise to its leadership. He served as Special Advisor for Strategic Planning and Institutional Reform on the National Security Council Staff under President George W. Bush (2005-2007) and as Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control on the NSC under President Clinton (1993-1994). A member of the Aspen Strategy Group and contributing editor to Foreign Policy magazine, Dr. Feaver has authored numerous books on grand strategy, American foreign policy, civil-military relations, and national security.
Continued Foundation Support
In January 2026, the DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation renewed its commitment to the program agreeing to a 3-year pledge agreement with Duke University in continued support for the Program in American Grand Strategy. These contributions provide funding for program enhancement including:
- Increasing international staff rides
- Expanding domestic trips
- Maintaining an extensive speaker series
- Research expansion
As Ambassador Aldona Woś commented when announcing a related partnership between AGS and The Institute of World Politics: “We are proud to be associated with and support both AGS and IWP. We believe this partnership will be beneficial to both organizations in preparing young people for their future influence on our American society.”
Signature Staff Rides
A hallmark of the AGS experience is its Staff Rides—a concept created in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars by the Prussians, the perfectors of European military strategy and training. Students walk the battlefields of previous wars, observe the terrain, and adopt the roles of various commanders and political leaders to understand not just who fought and when, but what was planned, what occurred, and why—all within the broader context of geopolitical issues.
With generous support from donors including the DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation, Duke’s Program in American Grand Strategy has traveled on staff rides for nearly a decade, visiting:
- Italy (World War II campaigns)
- Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury)
- Vietnam (Vietnam War)
- Morocco (World War II North African campaign)
- Belgium and France (World War I and II battlefields)
- Hawaii (Pearl Harbor)
- Berlin and Prague (Cold War sites)
- Gettysburg (Civil War)
Being there—in the place where it happened—helps bring history and strategy to life, providing students with unique opportunities to understand strategy and major episodes in U.S. history while connecting with a growing network of alumni.
Distinguished Speaker Series
AGS brings distinguished scholars and practitioners from diverse professional backgrounds and political perspectives to Duke to interact with aspiring strategists. Through conversation-style events, small group meetings, and formal dinners, the Hallmark AGS Speaker Series gives students the opportunity to learn from leaders whose shoes they hope to one day fill.
Louis DeJoy has spoken at AGS events twice, reflecting the Foundation’s deep engagement with the program:
- January 14, 2026: Louis DeJoy and John Podesta—founder of the Center for American Progress, former Chief of Staff to President Clinton, and former Counselor to President Obama—joined Dr. Peter Feaver for a conversation on “Problem Solving in an Age of Political Polarization: How to Make Policy in an Age of Political Polarization.” The bipartisan dialogue exemplified AGS’s commitment to bringing together leaders from across the political spectrum to discuss pressing national challenges.
- 2022: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy spoke with Dr. Peter Feaver on the sweeping postal service reform. PMG DeJoy discussed the rare bipartisan support for the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 and how this massive financial reform would impact the future of the USPS—demonstrating how effective policy can transcend partisan divides.
On May 3, 2018, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Duke University at an event sponsored by the American Grand Strategy Program to discuss her book and offer her take on current international hot topics, including North Korea and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Rice was the first African American woman to serve as Secretary of State (2005-2009). She was joined on stage by Dr. Amy Zegart, co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, as they discussed their book “Political Risk: How Businesses and Organizations Can Anticipate Global Insecurity.” See Duke’s Events Gallery.
Other notable speakers have included:
- Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth (2023) – discussed the all-volunteer force, military recruiting, and the value of service
- Ambassador Michael McFaul – former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, discussing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- General Stanley McChrystal (USA, Ret.)
- Maj. Gen. William J. Walker (USA, Ret.)
America in the World Consortium
Duke’s Program in American Grand Strategy is a founding member of the America in the World Consortium (AWC), launched in 2018 as a dynamic partnership of universities seeking to create a more vibrant debate among policy-interested scholars about America’s role in the world. The Consortium’s partner institutions include:
- Duke University – Program in American Grand Strategy
- Johns Hopkins University – Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at SAIS
- University of Texas at Austin – Clements Center for National Security
- University of Florida – Alexander Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education
Academic Excellence
AGS offers a wide variety of courses on foreign policy, national security, and related topics, including the hallmark AGS Advanced Seminar that examines “the policy that nations adopt to marshal their political, economic, military, technological, and diplomatic resources to achieve their national goals in the international environment they face, drawing on political science, history, public policy, law and political economy.”
The program also provides:
- Summer Fellows Program – providing stipends to undergraduate students pursuing traditional and non-traditional internship and research opportunities related to the AGS mission
- Field trips to military installations, including visits to the Joint Expeditionary Base in Little Creek, Virginia
- Foreign Service Career Days and networking opportunities
- An extensive alumni network connecting current students with graduates working in national security and foreign policy
Strategic Partnerships
AGS has established partnerships with leading institutions to expand opportunities for students, including a partnership with The Institute of World Politics (IWP), a graduate school of national security, intelligence, and international affairs. Through this partnership, Duke graduates receive scholarships when enrolled in IWP’s M.A. or Certificate programs, and IWP hosts Duke students for campus visits and internship opportunities.
For more information about Duke University’s American Grand Strategy Program, visit http://ags.duke.edu
