Clay Murray, Department Chair

Lieutenant Colonel Clay Murray, a distinguished military graduate of University of Louisville Army ROTC and recipient of the George C. Marshall Award, was commissioned into the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer (2006). He furthered his education with a Graduate Fellowship at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focusing on Near East security, later completing his Master's degree in 2015. His thesis centered on the motivations behind joining violent extremist organizations post-WWI.

LTC Murray's career encompassed leadership roles such as Platoon Leader, Observer-Coach/Trainer, and Human Intelligence Operations Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. He served as Company Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom and held Field-Grade positions like Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer.

In 2018, LTC Murray graduated from the Army War College Basic Strategic Art Program and shifted to strategic and joint planning. Since then, he has excelled in Army and defense planning assignments at Army Headquarters in the Pentagon, the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, and the Army Reserve of the Pacific (IX Mission Support Command). His experience and education contributed to his distinguished service and selection as Department Chair and Professor of Military Science at Minnesota State University in Mankato (2024).

Professional Excellence

• M.A. (Higher Education Administration), University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky (anticipated graduation Spring 2025)
• M.A. (Intelligence Studies, Middle East Studies), American Military University, Manassas, Virginia
• Graduate Fellowship (Islamic and Middle East Studies), Hebrew University, Rothberg International School, Jerusalem, Israel
• B.S. (Political Science, Law and Public Policy) University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
• Certificate (Joint Combined Warfare School), National Defense University, Norfolk, Virginia
• Certificate (Defense Strategy Course), United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
• Certificate (Basic Strategic Art Program), United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania

Area of Research

• Defense Technology and Innovation for Future Warfare