About Me

Dr. Ronald L. Hatchett is the Director of the Center for Global Studies at Schreiner University. He held similar positions on the faculties of The University of St. Thomas in Houston (1993-2003), Texas A&M University at College Station (1988-1993), the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. (1982-1983), and The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado (1971-1975). He also frequently appears as a commentator on local and national television and radio news programs.

During the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Dr. Hatchett was a senior civilian official in the Department of Defense working arms control and international security issues.  From 1983‑1986 he was the Secretary of Defense Representative to the Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions Talks (MBFR) negotiating NATO and Warsaw Pact conventional force levels in central Europe.  In 1986 he became the Secretary of Defense Representative to three other multi-national security organizations in Europe: the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concerning security, economic, and human rights issues; the mandate talks for NATO-Warsaw Pact negotiations on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE); and the NATO High Level Task Force on conventional arms control.  He held these positions until leaving the government in August 1988.

Prior to taking his position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Hatchett served for 20 years as an Air Force officer working intelligence and politico-military affairs.  He had operational assignments in fighter and reconnaissance wings, and served on the staffs of Headquarters 7th Air Force, Republic of Vietnam, where he selected targets for strike in North Vietnam and Laos; Headquarters, 12th Air Force, Tactical Air Command, where he was the Director of Intelligence Plans; Headquarters, USAF in Europe, where he was the Intelligence Inspector on the Inspector General Team; and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he was a Middle East analyst in the politico-military affairs directorate.

Dr. Hatchett's academic specialties are foreign policy, European Studies and Middle Eastern Affairs.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy (1966); a Master of Arts degree from California State University, San Diego (1972); a certificate of Balkan studies from the University of Zagreb in Croatia (1976); and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Texas at Austin (1982).  Dr. Hatchett is also a Distinguished Graduate of both the USAF Squadron Officers School and Air Command and Staff College of the Air University.

He is a native of Waco, Texas and is married to Jená Windham of Arlington, Texas.  They have four sons.