With more than 60 years of experience, CNA brings a wealth of expertise to the analysis of stability and development. This team, under the acting leadership of Dr. Eric Thompson, is dedicated to the study of counterinsurgency, irregular warfare, and post-conflict reconstruction.
Our analysts conduct research on a range of issues, including:
- Insurgency and counterinsurgency
- Ethnic conflict
- Development of indigenous forces
- Economic development of war-torn states
- "Phase IV" reconstruction efforts
- Establishment of political institutions
Our goal is to support decision-makers charged with planning and conducting security and development operations by providing them with objective, analytic perspectives grounded in an understanding of actual operations. We work to inform the debate on U.S. strategy as it relates to security and development issues in the "Long War" and their likely relevance to U.S. national security over the next 20 years.
CNA's renowned field program has placed analysts in Somalia, Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and with military commands around the world. Our analysts work on-scene to provide direct support to high-level military leaders, as well as other government and non-governmental agencies, providing analytic support in real-time. This experience allows our analysts to gain a unique perspective on ongoing operations and is a core element of CNA's approach to problem solving. We then bring this knowledge back from the field to examine the bigger picture and explore issues in the broader context of stability and development.
CNA has completed studies, using empirical data from the field, on the first battle of Fallujah, the need for reinforcements in Iraq, the effectiveness of the Iraqi armed forces, and the Sunni tribal movement in Iraq. The team is also supporting provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.