Joe Hartung is an honors student at the University of Kansas double majoring in History and International Studies, with minors in African Studies and National Security Studies. Joe's primary academic interests are in security and politics in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has done research for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on attacks by Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa on military bases (with a publication forthcoming), on environmental security in Nigeria for the U.S. Military Advisor Training Academy, and on international perceptions of African security issues for the U.S. Army Foreign Military Studies Office. Joe has interned for both the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense, where he directly supported U.S. policy efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Proficient in Kiswahili and selected as a 2020 Boren Scholar, Joe has published numerous policy-oriented articles discussing politics and security in Eastern Africa for the Horn Institute for Strategic Studies while living in Kenya. On campus, Joe is involved with the Jazz Program, the Kansas African Studies Center, the Kansas Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, and the Sailing Club. After graduation, he plans to earn an advanced degree in international relations, international security, or African Studies before pursuing a career at the intersection of U.S. - Africa policy and academia as a 'scholar-practitioner.' Joe is from St. Louis, Missouri.