CNA Strategic Studies

CNA Strategic Studies:  CNA's focal point for regional expertise and analyses, political-military studies, and U.S. strategy and force assessments

Areas of Focus

  • Political-military issues
  • Irregular warfare
  • In-theater analysis of Iraq and Afghanistan operations
  • Strategic concepts and futures planning
  • U.S. military engagement and shaping activities
  • Iranian studies
  • Middle East security
  • Latin American security
  • East Asian security strategy
  • Afghanistan/Pakistan nexus
  • Gulf of Guinea
  • North Africa piracy
  • Leadership analysis

CNA Strategic Studies conducts high-quality, high-level research into strategic, regional, and policy issues.

CSS analysis goes beyond conventional wisdom and offers recommendations that are actionable. Its analysts don’t rely on straight-line predictions. They consider the full range of possibilities, anticipate a broad scope of plausible outcomes, and not only look at the implications of today’s issues but identify and analyze "the issue after next."

Work by CNA Strategic Studies is characterized by rigorous methodology, a heavy reliance on primary sources, including foreign language sources, and the unique operational and policy expertise of its analysts.

Its research analysts are American citizens and hold security clearances. All have earned advanced degrees and more than half hold Ph.D.s. Many have spent time working in the policy community; several have deployed to commands around the world to provide analysis to military forces; and most have lived and worked abroad and are fluent in foreign languages. (Strategic Studies is well staffed with Arabic speakers, and has analysts who are fluent in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Persian, Russian, Dari, Hindi, Hungarian, Spanish and Vietnamese.)

Vice President and Director:  Eric Thompson, Ph.D.
Executive Assistant:  Sarah Vogler
Project Administrator:  Pam Hutchins

CNA Strategic Studies Teams

 3.1.12