Honoring Excellence: Dan Stigall Receives 2024 Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award

Articles of War is proud to highlight a recent recognition bestowed upon Professor and Lieutenant Colonel Dan Stigall, a member of our Editorial Board and a frequent contributor to the Articles of War. On May 24, 2024, Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew of George Washington Law School presented Professor Stigall with the 2024 Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award. In her speech, Dean Dayna Matthew emphasized the invaluable contribution of part-time faculty to the law school’s mission, stating,

Our law school benefits tremendously from the knowledge and talent of more than 550 part-time faculty members who make our vision to deliver a DC-infused education come alive. Our location in the nation’s capital gives us the unique advantage of offering expert practitioners in every imaginable field who teach a variety of specialized courses that prepare students to meet the pressing challenges of our time.

Professor Stigall, thank you for your outstanding work and for the important contributions you have made to our law school and to the nation!

Professor Stigall’s career is marked by achievements in both academic and professional spheres. As an adjunct faculty member for the last two years, Professor Stigall teaches courses in National Security Law, Comparative Law, and the Law of War. Currently serving as the Director for Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) Policy in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism, Special Operations & Low-Intensity Conflict, OSD (Policy), Professor Stigall has played an important role in shaping critical policies to protect civilian lives.

Before his current position, Professor Stigall served as an attorney with the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). From January to August 2022, he led the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) Tiger Team. From 2017 to 2019, he served as Director for Counterterrorism with the National Security Council, where he was the lead author and interagency coordinator for the U.S. National Strategy for Counterterrorism.

A veteran of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Professor Stigall served on active duty from 2001 to 2009. His military service continues as an Army Reservist, where he contributes to the adjunct faculty in the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Professor Stigall’s scholarly work, featured in journals such as the Harvard National Security Journal and the Military Law Review, includes books like The Santillana Codes (2017) and Counterterrorism and Investigative Detention (2021). He has also contributed multiple posts to Articles of War, enriching our understanding of international and national security law.

We congratulate Professor Dan Stigall on this well-deserved honor and celebrate his continued contributions to the field of law and national security.