Our Team
The CNA Stability and Development Team is composed of members with diverse academic disciplines:
Dr. Carter Malkasian directs the Center on Stability and Development at the Center for Naval Analyses. He spent two months in 2007 working with a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kunar, Afghanistan. He is due to lead his team in a return to Afghanistan in February 2008. Dr. Malkasian was previously assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) as an advisor on counterinsurgency. He deployed with I MEF for the war in Iraq from February to May 2003, February 2004 to February 2005, and February 2006 to August 2006. Most of that time was spent in Al Anbar province. Dr. Malkasian's forthcoming publication is a co-edited book (with Daniel Marston of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst), Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare, which contains historical cases of counterinsurgency campaigns. His journal publications include: "Did the Coalition Need More Forces in Iraq? Evidence from Al Anbar" in Joint Force Quarterly; "A Thin Blue Line in the Sand" in Democracy: A Journal of Ideas; "Signaling Resolve, Democratization, and the First Battle of Fallujah" in the Journal of Strategic Studies; "The Role of Perceptions and Political Reform in Counterinsurgency" in Small Wars & Insurgencies; and "Toward a Better Understanding of Attrition" in the Journal of Military History. He has also written two books: A History of Modern Wars of Attrition (2002) and The Korean War, 1950-1953 (2001). Dr. Malkasian completed his doctorate in the history of war at Oxford University.
Ms. Megan Katt is the Program Coordinator for the Center for Stability and Development. She received her B.S. in Business Marketing from San Diego State University, with a minor in Political Science. Since September 11, Ms. Katt has shifted her career focus from business to international relations. She is now an M.A. candidate in Security Studies from Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Her areas of academic interest include counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, ethnic and religious conflict, and the psychological dimensions of conflict. Prior to joining the CNA Corporation, Ms. Katt supported research on international security and national defense issues at the RAND Corporation where she focused on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and counterterrorism.
Dr. Gerald Meyerle is a Research Analyst in the Center for Stability and Development. He has published articles on the insurgency in Kashmir, the Pakistan military, and the Pakistan-Afghan border areas. Before coming to CNA, he was an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia where he taught courses on terrorism and guerrilla warfare. While working on his dissertation, he spent a year studying Urdu and doing field research in India, Pakistan, and Kashmir. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Virginia.
Other CNA Staff who work with the center:
Mr. Patricio Asfura-Heim, Esq. is a Research Analyst in the International Affairs Group at the Center for Naval Analyses. Mr. Asfura-Heim’s research interests include irregular warfare, comparative and international law, and the military applications of socio-cultural anthropology. From July to December 2007, he was assigned as a governance advisor to II MEF in Fallujah, Iraq where he conducted research on Iraqi Tribal Law and the RoL, provincial elections, and metrics for measuring progress in Al Anbar. Prior to joining the CNA Corporation, Mr. Asfura-Heim interned at the State Department's Intelligence and Research Bureau and spent time in Istanbul studying the Turkish legal and political system. In addition he has several years of experience working in mediation for city government. Mr. Asfura-Heim holds a Juris Doctor and a Master in World Politics from Catholic University of America. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar.
Dr. Whitney Raas is a Research Scientist with the Center for Naval Analyses. She recently spent seven weeks providing analytical support to the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Khost Province, Afghanistan. While at CNA, she has supported work involving national missile defense, mine warfare, and maritime domain awareness. Dr. Raas is a graduate of MIT, with a PhD in nuclear engineering and a master’s degree in political science.
Dr. Fred Thompson recently returned from spending two months for CSD at the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Khost and Ghazni, Afghanistan. He is due to return to Afghanistan with the team in February 2008. In 2001, he deployed as part of CNA's support to Operation Enduring Freedom aboard USS Kitty Hawk. In the late 1990s, Dr. Thompson was a Field Representative on the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) staff in Sarajevo, Bosnia and later provided analytical support to the U.S. European Command multinational, interagency force protection operations. Dr. Thompson was a manager at CNA for 10 years, in charge of the Marine Corps support program for over half that time. Earlier, he spent a decade as a CNA Field Representative to Navy fleet commands overseas and at the Naval War College. His academic background is in economics and statistics, and he currently is attached to our Information, Technology, and Operations Team.
To arrange an interview:
Contact the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, Noel Gerson at 703.824.2758; 703.855.1165; or gersonn@cna.org.
