International Strategic Studies Association: Home Page. © 2008, ISSA

For a listing of all Members of the ISSA College of Fellows, in order of their induction, please click here. There are currently (as of August 28, 2019) 32 living members of the College, ranging from Fellows and Research Fellows to Senior Fellows, based in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, East Asia, and elsewhere.


	Dr Joan Vernikos, FSS, former head of Life Sciences at NASA, and noted author on strategic health issues, makes a point while Lord Ashcroft, FSS, looks on.

March 1, 2020

The ISSA College of Fellows engaged on March 1, 2020, in one of its most important dialogs on global strategic trends, with input from Fellows from around the world. Those Fellows, Research Fellows, and Senior Fellows — all of whom have the post-nominals “FSS” to indicate their standing — shown here at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, DC for the event are: Front Row, l to r: Dr Wendy Cecil, CM, FSS, FRCGS (Toronto); Pamela von Gruber, FSS (Provost of the College, Washington, DC); Gregory Copley, AM, FSS, FRCGS (President of ISSA and Dean of the College; Washington, DC); Dr Joan Vernikos, FSS (fmr head of NASA Life Sciences); Lee Mason, FSS (New York). Rear Row, l to r: Dr Harry Dinella, FSS (Washington, DC); Dr Donald Evans, FSS (Washington, DC); Rt. Hon. Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, FSS (London); Quinn Marschik, FSS (Washington, DC); Stephen Ryan, Esq., FSS, FRCGS (Washington, DC); John Geiger, FSS, FRCGS (Toronto/Ottawa); HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, FSS (Addis Ababa/Washington, DC); Maj.-Gen. Oliver Peacock, the Marquess of Debre-Berhan, FSS (Cashiers, North Carolina); Col. (rtd.) Frank Wickersham, USMC, FSS (Warrenton, Virginia); Elias Wondimu, FSS (Los Angeles); David Murphy, FSS (Washington, DC); and George Bougias, FSS (Melbourne, Australia). Photographs by Yoseph Wondimu.

March 11, 2015

ISSA College of Fellows Grows in Numbers and Capabilities

The ISSA College of Fellows grew significantly with appointment of a number of new Fellows in early 2015. A number of old and new members of the College met at the prestigious Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, on March 8, 2015, to review projects and to formulate plans for cooperation and the future of the International Strategic Studies Association.

The full membership of the College can be seen by clicking here.

In early 2015, a new Research Fellow, Michael Murphy, was added to the roster, and he is engaged specifically in assessments of military (mostly naval) technology. New Fellow Lee Mason, based in New York, came aboard to assist in moving ISSA into new communications arenas, and to support the Association’s internship programs.

Two Canadians came aboard the College: Brig.-Gen. (rtd.) Craig Hilton, the recent Commandant of the Canadian Forces College, the premier defense and strategic higher learning institute for the Canadian Armed Forces; and Col. Dr Paul Taillon, a published authority on counter-terrorism issues, with wide practical experience with the Canadian and US special forces communities. A third Canadian joined the College more than a year earlier: John Geiger, CEO (and former President) of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. Australian Senior Fellow Andrew Pickford has also moved his base of operations to Canada, but continues to monitor Indo-Pacific issues for ISSA.

In the arena of space and technology, the College added two distinguished members: Dr Joan Vernikos, the former Director of Life Sciences for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (and the highest woman employee of NASA), a widely published author and Defense & Foreign Affairs space correspondent; and Dr Paul Scully-Power, AM, Australia’s first astronaut, and a world-renowned mathematician and authority on oceanography and cyber warfare.

Since the last gathering of the College, a noted Australian and international author, Dr Frank Salter, joined ISSA’s College as a Senior Fellow. He is a political ethologist, who gained international recognition for his decades of work with the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology.

Recognition: The Board of ISSA and the College voted at the March 8, 2015, gathering to recognize the professional level of College fellows — Fellows, Research Fellows, and Senior Fellows — with the post-nominal initials FISSA (Fellow of the International Strategic Studies Association).

The photograph: Attending the March 15, 2015, event were (back row, left to right): Dr Donald Evans, Senior Fellow; Dr Assad Homayoun, Senior Fellow; Col. Dr Paul Taillon, Senior Fellow; John Geiger, Senior Fellow; (bottom row, left to right): Dr Joan Vernikos, Senior Fellow; Lee Mason, Fellow; Gregory Copley, Governor; Dr Harry Dinella, Senior Fellow; and HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selasie Haile-Selassie, Senior Fellow. College Provost Pamela von Gruber took the photograph.

September 14, 2011

ISSA College of Fellows Has Inaugural Meeting in the US

The International Strategic Studies Association College of Fellows met in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2011, the first time sufficient members of the globally-dispersed group had gathered together to review ISSA programs, and to interact and exchange, face-to-face, opinions on their respective areas of expertise.

The team met at The Warehouse Restaurant with ISSA Executive Director Pamela von Gruber (seated, center), and ISSA President Gregory Copley (standing, center). From left, they are: Anthony Reed, who has headed the ISSA studies on personnel survivability in combat and on issues related to the future battlefield; Andrew Pickford, who has specialized in economic and energy security studies (and who is Managing Director of ISSA Indo-Pacific in Australia); Dr Assad Homayoun, who, among other things, advises on grand strategy and strategic philosophy; and His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, who has led study teams on issues relating to Africa and water and infrastructure issues.

November 30, 2009

ISSA Adds the Expertise of Two New Senior Fellows

The worldwide International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA) on November 30, 2009, added two new Senior Fellows to its faculty, in addition to the two long-serving Senior Fellows already with the organization. ISSA President Gregory Copley said that the two new senior associates of the organization added considerable specific expertise which would enhance the capability of the organization.


Andrew Pickford

Perth, Western Australia-based Andrew Pickford, a well-known author and former research manager at the Australian strategic institute, Future Directions International, joined ISSA not only as Senior Fellow of the organization’s worldwide activities, but as the head of ISSA’s research and analysis operations for the Indo-Pacific region. He will operate principally from Perth, but also have responsibilities to ISSA’s worldwide operations. On January 1, 2010, Mr Pickford also became Managing Director of ISSA Indo-Pacific Pty. Ltd.


	Anthony Reed

A former colonel in the US Army Special Operations Command, Anthony Reed, has joined ISSA as Senior Fellow, in part to expand the organization’s knowledge and capabilities in the area of the protection of military personnel. ISSA has already developed a repository of experience in studying the impact of IED and other blast factors on troop and military vehicle survival. Anthony Reed is currently Commanding General of the Legion of Frontiersmen, a public service volunteer organization operating in several countries. Gen. Reed also serves as US Ambassador (major-general equivalent) for the United States Army Reserve, reporting directly to the Chief, US Army Reserve and Commanding General, US Army Reserve Command, responsible for legislative and related matters at US Federal and state levels. He has had operational experience in the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Pakistan, Turkey, South Africa, Jordan, Poland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Venezuela.

Gen. Reed was founder, and is Senior Partner, of Goodwood Partners, LLC, a firm specializing in strategic, international business development focused on the national security sector.

Mr Pickford, meanwhile, co-authored, with ISSA Pres. Gregory Copley, several major studies on the Indo-Pacific region, including Australia 2050 (2006), Australia’s Energy Options (2005), and Such a Full Sea: Australia’s Options in a Changing Indian Ocean Region (2009), as well as other studies on energy security, and issues of strategic linkages between agriculture, energy, and water. Andrew Pickford was Strategic Policy Advisor at Western Power and Research Manager at Future Directions International (FDI), Australia’s center for strategic analysis, where he was also the Editor of FDI’s Weekly Global Report. Before joining FDI, he was employed by KPMG and also completed a secondment to Chevron. Andrew is on the management committee of the Australia Day Council of Western Australia (WA), the Australian Institute of International Affairs (WA Branch), and is a councilor on the Royal United Services Institute of WA.

Gen. Reed and Mr Pickford join the two existing ISSA Senior Fellows, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, and Dr Assad Homayoun.