College Faculty

Dr. John R. Ballard

Dr. John R. Ballard is the Assistant to the Commandant for Academic Affairs and Dean of the National Defense College in the United Arab Emirates. He previously served as: Professor of Military History and Strategy at the American Joint Forces Staff College, the Foundation Chair and Professor of Defence Studies at New Zealand’s Massey University, Professor of Joint Military Operations at the U.S. Naval War College, Professor of National Security Strategy at the U.S. National War College, and the Academic Dean at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. Most recently, he served as the Dean of Faculty and Academic Programs at the National War College in Washington, D.C. Dean Ballard earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, his master’s degree from California State University, and his doctorate from Catholic University. He is a retired United States Marine Corps officer with combat command experience in Iraq; his military education included the Amphibious Warfare School and the Ecole Supérieure de Guerre InterArmées in Paris, France. Dean Ballard’s academic interests include strategy, contemporary defense affairs, military history and joint operational art. He has published articles in Joint Force Quarterly, the Marine Corps Gazette, Military Review, the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Terrorism and Political Violence, Small Wars and Insurgencies, and Nation Shield; he has presented papers and conducted seminars worldwide on strategic issues, operational planning, and military command and control. His published books include: Upholding Democracy: the U.S. Military Campaign in Haiti 1994-1997 (Praeger, 1998), Continuity during the Storm (Greenwood, 2000), Fighting for Fallujah (Praeger Security International, 2006), Triumph of Self-Determination, Operation Stabilise and United Nations Peacemaking in East Timor (Praeger Security International, 2008), From Storm to Freedom, The Long American War with Iraq (Naval Institute Press, 2010), and From Kabul to Baghdad and Back, the U.S. at War in Iraq and Afghanistan (Naval Institute Press, 2012). Dean Ballard has been recognized with a Distinguished Writing Award from the Army Historical Foundation, a Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Naval War College, a Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, several writing prizes and various military decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He was named the recipient of both the Society of the Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth Century Award and the General Horace Porter Award in History at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dean Ballard is the son of a Marine staff non-commissioned officer. He and his wife, Rose, live in Abu Dhabi and Annapolis, Maryland. They are the proud parents of one daughter and have one granddaughter.

Dr. Daniel F. Baltrusaitis

Dr. Daniel F. Baltrusaitis is a Professor of Strategy, Comparative Defense Strategies, and Leadership at the National Defense College in the United Arab Emirates. He previously served as an Associate Professor of International Security Studies, Dean of Resident Academics at the U.S. Air War College, and Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Spaatz Center for Officer Education. Dr. Baltrusaitis is a retired U.S. military officer and has served in a variety of military operational and staff assignments, accumulating more than 3300 flight hours in the U-2, B-1B, and over forty additional aircraft. He commanded the 5^th Reconnaissance Squadron, a U-2 squadron based at Osan AB, Korea, and served as Deputy Commander of the Air Force Operations Group in the Pentagon. His staff assignments include Deputy Director of the CHECKMATE Division, Headquarters Air Force, and Deputy Director of Engineering for the Operational Support Office. Dr. Baltrusaitis earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota, and his doctorate from Georgetown University. His military education included the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and the Air War College. Dr. Baltrusaitis’ academic interests include defense strategy, coalition and alliance politics, contemporary defense affairs, international relations and joint operational art. He has published articles in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and the Baltic Defence Journal, and a book titled "Coalition Politics and the Iraq War: Determinants of Choice" (Lynne Rienner, 2010). Dr. Baltrusaitis has been recognized with the Douhet-Mitchell Award for most visionary paper from the Air War College, and the Leithen-Tittle Award for the top graduate from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He and his wife, Jan, live in Abu Dhabi and Washington D.C. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Becky and Melissa.

Samuel Greene, Ph.D.

Dr. Samuel Greene is an Assistant Professor at the National Defense College in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to coming to NDC, he taught at Howard Payne University in Texas and served as a Research Assistant at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. Dr. Greene holds a Doctorate in Politics from the Catholic University of America, a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from George Fox University. Dr. Greene’s primary research interest is the study of democratic transitions and consolidation in new democracies. He has published on elections in El Salvador and Nicaragua as well as democratization in Afghanistan in outlets such as Electoral Studies, the online version of the Journal of Democracy, and the Defense and Technology Papers series at the National Defense University. His current research considers comparative lessons from cases of successful and unsuccessful democratization in Central America, Africa, and the Middle East. He is also co-authoring a manuscript on EU military capabilities. Dr. Greene has taught widely in international relations, comparative politics, and American politics at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is fluent in Spanish and can conduct research in a number of romance languages. Dr. Greene was a Cambridge Overseas Trust scholar and a recipient of the Lord Morris of Borth-y-Gest Scholarship from Trinity Hall, Cambridge during his time in England. While at Catholic University, he received the university's Arts and Sciences Scholarship. Dr. Greene and his wife Elisabeth reside in Alexandria, Virginia. When he is not engaged in teaching and research, Dr. Greene enjoys playing and coaching football (soccer), and exploring used bookshops and new culinary delights with his wife.

Gerard W. Hall, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerard W. Hall is an Assistant Professor at the National Defense College of the United Arab Emirates. He previously served as: Professor of Naval Science at Southern University and Louisiana State University, and as an Adjunct Professor at the National Labor College teaching the Disaster Response, Operations & Management course. Most recently, he served as an Associate Professor in the Strategic Leadership Department at the Eisenhower School, National Defense University in Washington D.C. Dr. Hall holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southern University, a Master of Arts Degree in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University, a Masters of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval Command and Staff College, and a Doctorate specializing in Organization and Management from Capella University. Dr. Hall's academic interests include ethics, organizational management, crisis management and strategic leadership. Dr. Hall has been recognized with various military decorations, including the Legion of Merit, three defense meritorious service medals and two meritorious service medals. He, his wife, Martha, and their son,Jordan live in Abu Dhabi and Chesapeake, Virginia.

Robert Stewart-Ingersoll, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Stewart-Ingersoll is Associate Professor of Strategic Security Studies at the National Defense College in the United Arab Emirates. He has previously held the positions of Assistant Professor of Political Science and Acting Director of the International Relations Program at Grand Valley State University, Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of International Studies at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and Assistant Professor of National Security at the US Air Command and Staff College. He also currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Strategic Security Studies at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. Dr. Stewart-Ingersoll received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Arizona. Dr. Stewart-Ingersoll’s research focuses on global and regional security orders, the increasing role of regional powers in both of these arenas, and the causes and effects of varied management approaches to comparable security issues across different regional settings. Additionally, Dr. Stewart-Ingersoll examines the nature and implications of the globalization phenomenon, the determinants and implications of human rights practices, and international relations theory. His book, Regional Powers and Security Orders: A Theoretical Framework, was published with Routledge Press in 2012. His journal articles have appeared in the European Journal of International Relations, Asian Security, International Interactions, The Journal of International Relations and Development, The Illinois International Review, and The Alabama Journal of International Affairs. Additionally, he has published book chapters in David Scott’s Handbook of India’s International Relations (Routledge Press) and Davis Bobrow’s Hegemony Constrained: Evasion, Modification, and Resistance to American Foreign Policy (University of Pittsburgh Press).

Nathan W. Toronto, Ph.D.

Dr. Nathan W. Toronto is an Associate Professor of Security and Strategic Studies at the United Arab Emirates National Defense College. Previous to NDC, he taught at the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and was a researcher at the U.S. Army/U.S. Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center and the Foreign Military Studies Office. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 2007, and he holds a Certificate in Arabic Language from the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA), American University in Cairo, where he studied from 2000 to 200Dr. Toronto’s research interests include Middle East security, theories of warfare, and civil-military relations. He has published articles in Joint Force Quarterly, St. Antony’s International Review, and Small Wars and Insurgencies; he has also published shorter pieces in the Journal of Peace Research, Military Review, the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and the SAGE Encyclopedia of Military Science. He has presented papers worldwide on security affairs and civil-military relations, and has won a number of fellowships and grants to conduct research, including the compilation of three data sets on military professionalism. Dr. Toronto has received writing awards from the Col. Arthur D. Simons Center and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, including for a co-edited book titled "Stability Economis: The Economic Foundations of Security in Post-Conflict Environments" (Combat Studies Institute Press, 2012). He speaks Arabic and Spanish fluently, and he lives with his wife and four children in Abu Dhabi.

Albadr SS Alshateri, Ph.D.

Dr. Albadr SS Alshateri is an Adjunct Professor at National Defense College. Prior to taking up his current position, Dr. Alshateri was a Researcher at the General Headquarters of the UAE Armed Forces. He also held other posts in the UAE military including a Political Advisor at the GHQ. Previously, he worked as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Michigan for several years. Dr. Alshateri received his Bachelors Degree Political Science, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from Indiana University–Bloomington. He also received a Certificate in African Studies from the same university. He obtained his Masters Degree in Political Science, and another second Masters in Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Alshateri received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the same university specializing in Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Economy. His research interests include state formation in the developing countries, social change and movement, public policy, regional politics, and international political economy. Dr. Alshateri has contributed papers to various symposia and international conferences on different subjects regarding Middle East politics and Gulf security. Dr. Alshateri was awarded the Richard P. Mitchell Memorial Prize from the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan; Top Student’s Prize from the Ministry of Education, UAE; and the Sheikh Rashid Award from the Culture and Science Symposium in Dubai. He also won an award for his dissertation entitled “The Political Economy of State Formation: The United Arab Emirates in Comparative Perspective” from the Society for Arab Gulf Studies. Dr. Alshateri has had many articles published in the International Journal of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Al Ittihad newspaper (Abu Dhabi), Al Khaleej Times (Sharjah) and Gulf News (Dubai). Dr. Alshateri is married and has five children and lives in his hometown of Abu Dhabi.