Christopher Fredlake

Dr. Christopher Fredlake serves as the director of CNA’s Marine Corps Program and CNA’s Expeditionary Warfare Research Program. He oversees research on Marine Corps and naval expeditionary issues related to force design, force development, and force employment. His research program includes studies conducted out of CNA’s Arlington office as well as 11 field representatives embedded with Marine Corps commands in Headquarters Marine Corps and the Fleet Marine Force.

Prior to his current position, Dr. Fredlake led the on-site CNA analytic team at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. His team supported multiple wargames, experiments, prototype testing, and analyses on Marine Corps Force Design 2030, including major experiments such as Project Convergence 21 and Project Convergence 22. which focused on integrating Marine Corps forces and capabilities with naval, joint, and coalition forces.

Dr. Fredlake also served as the CNA field representative to Marine Corps Forces, Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER) from 2013 to 2016. Other on-site assignments have included Marine Aviation and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) and the Deputy Commandant for Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps.

Dr. Fredlake joined the research staff of CNA in 2008, working on an analysis of metrics related to Navy Cyber Combat Mission Force operational progress; intelligence and sensor integration; and the training implications and opportunities for Marine Corps units under the proposed distributed laydown in the Pacific. He also provided analytic support to the operational assessment of the MV-22 Osprey, from workup exercises to the first at-sea deployment of an MV-22 squadron.

Dr. Fredlake holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.