Ryan Mannina, SSP‘19

“SSP's unique blend of theory and practice prepared me well to continue my Army career as I transitioned from a tactical warfighter to serve at the operational and strategic levels. Whether it's reinforcing NATO's eastern flank or working with multinational and Interagency partners to address security challenges across the Middle East, I routinely draw on what I learned at Georgetown to help me understand and lead in the complex and dynamic operating environments in which I find myself.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Mannina is a Sarasota, Florida native and a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

From 2019 to 2023, he served with the 2d Cavalry Regiment in Europe. As squadron operations officer, he deployed a task force to Romania and Bulgaria in February 2022, immediately preceding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His team supported U.S. efforts to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank and helped establish new multinational NATO battlegroups as part of the Alliance’s enhanced forward presence. Currently stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Ryan serves at U.S. Central Command, where he helps plan, coordinate, and support special operations and sensitive activities across the CENTCOM area of responsibility. Following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, Ryan deployed to Israel to support the coordination of U.S. military response and assistance efforts during the initial crisis phases.