In the wake of last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol, the participation of former and current members of the military called attention to the threat posed by racial extremism in the ranks.

In this episode of CNA Talks, we are bringing you an interview with Megan McBride on her report “Racial Extremism in the Military a Continuum of Harm,” which seeks to give DOD the tools to mitigate this threat.

This interview originally aired on the radio program "A Closer Look with Pam Atherton."

Biographies

Megan McBride is a research analyst in CNA's Center for Stability and Development. She is an expert on international security issues including terrorism, radicalization, and ideological violence and has conducted and published research on domestic and international terrorism.

Pam Atherton is a veteran radio host, in addition to being a performance/presentation coach. You can catch more of her interviews on ACloserLookRadio.com.

Further Reading

CNA Report: Racial Extremism in the Military: A Continuum of Harm

When scientists test a hypothesis, they set up an experiment, control for external variables and refine their hypothesis based on their results. CNA's service StaffLab makes this toolset available to executives to help refine and test their ideas for staffing, organizational reform, and more. In this episode of CNA Talks, Margaux Hoar and Kelly Diaz join John Stimpson to discuss how StaffLab uses workshops, wargames, and other methods to help leaders achieve their vision for their organizations.

StaffLab Homepage

Biographies

Margaux Hoar directs the Organizations, Roles, and Missions research program at CNA. Her team conducts organizational, process, and command and control analyses, which provide tailored, transformative solutions to support the vision of CNA's sponsors.

Kelly Diaz is a Research Scientist at CNA and an expert in organizational design and management, specifically for DoD offices and commands. She focuses on issues of command and control, readiness and training, and wargaming.

For centuries, sabotage has been a tool of war, but what role does it serve in today's environment where great powers compete in the shadows and non-state actors are important global players. On this episode of CNA Talks, CNA analysts, Alex Powell and Annaleah Westerhaug join John Stimpson to discuss their report, “Maritime Sabotage: Lessons Learned and Implications for Strategic Competition.”

Biographies

Alex Powell is a Research Analyst on CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges program. His work has focused on issues pertaining to special operations forces (SOF) as well as violent extremist organizations. His research on SOF has encompassed issues ranging from the strategic down to the tactical levels

Annaleah Westerhaug is Research Assistant with CNA's Strategy and Policy Analysis Program. Her research portfolio includes Chinese illegal unregulated fishing, Women peace and security in the Pacific Islands, Nuclear posture, Gender in counterterrorism and violent extremism, and Maritime sabotage.

In the modern economy businesses, NGOs and governments are interconnected and interdependent. In this ecosystem it is not enough for these actors to understand their own objectives and capabilities, they must also understand those of their partners and competitors.

In this episode of CNA Talks, CNA analysts Kelly Diaz and Alison Vernon discuss how businesses ecosystems models can be adapted and applied to issues of national security.

Biographies

Alison Vernon is a Senior Research Scientist in CNA's Organizations, Roles and Missions team. Her focus has been primarily on C2 issues, naval integration, and using ecosystems to find solutions to difficult national security challenges.

Kelly Diaz is a Research Scientist in CNA's Organizations, Roles and Missions team. She is an expert in organizational design and management, specifically for DoD offices and commands. She focuses on issues of command and control, readiness and training, and wargaming.

Federal, State and local agencies regularly use exercises to prepare for natural disasters including pandemics. In 2019, many of these entities and private sector partners participated in the scenario Crimson Contagion, which was meant to test how the U.S. government would respond to a novel influenza pandemic spreading through the U.S.

Sound familiar?

On this episode of CNA Talks, Chris Emory, the Bureau Chief of Health Emergency Management within in the New Mexico Department of Health, and Cynthia Holmes who served as the coordinator for New Mexico's Joint Information Center for the first 200 of the COVID response join CNA analysts Dawn Thomas and Eric Trabert. They discuss how lessons learned from Crimson Contagion shaped New Mexico's response to COVID-19.

Biographies

Dawn Thomas is the co-director of CNA's Center for Emergency Management Operations. Dawn has written, executed and evaluated more than 60 exercises, in the fields of health and medical operations, animal disease and public health.

Eric Trabert is the Director of CNA's Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience. He has evaluated the public health responses to more than a dozen emergencies, including the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic, and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Chris Emory is the Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Health Emergency Management within the New Mexico Department of Health.

Cynthia Holmes is currently an instructor with NCBRT out of Louisiana State University. Before this position, she served as the training and exercise manager for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. During this time, she served as the coordinator for the Joint Information Center for the first 200 days of the COVID Response.

In part two of their discussion, CNA counterterrorism experts Alex Powell and Jon Schroden sit down with James Cunningham the lead author for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

They discuss some positive takeaways from the development of the Afghan National Security Forces and what lessons the U.S. government can learn from Afghanistan.

Timestamps by Topic

• 1:17: Were there effective approaches to developing the Afghan National Security Forces?
• 7:05: What lessons should the U.S. government learn from Afghanistan?
• 12:59: Will the U.S. government make any actionable change because of these lessons?

Guest Biographies

James Cunningham is the lead author and project lead for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction focused on reconstructing the ANDSF. For over 16 years, James has worked Afghanistan-related issues as a member of the Intelligence community and providing independent oversight of U.S. reconstruction programming.

Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times.

Alex Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces (SOF). He has worked extensively on security issues in Afghanistan, traveling there numerous times to conduct assessments of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

Additional Resources

SIGAR Website

Divided Responsibility: Lessons from U.S. Security Sector Assistance Efforts in Afghanistan, June 2019

Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, September 2017

In this episode, CNA counterterrorism experts Alex Powell and Jon Schroden sit down with James Cunningham the lead author for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

They discuss the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the face of the Taliban offensive, how the Taliban were able to take territory with so little resistance and problems with how the U.S. military trained the ANDSF.

Biographies

James Cunningham is the lead author and project lead for two comprehensive lessons learned reports published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction focused on reconstructing the ANDSF. For over 16 years, James has worked Afghanistan-related issues as a member of the Intelligence community and providing independent oversight of U.S. reconstruction programming.

Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times.

Alex Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces (SOF). He has worked extensively on security issues in Afghanistan, traveling there numerous times to conduct assessments of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

Additional Resources

SIGAR Website

Divided Responsibility: Lessons from U.S. Security Sector Assistance Efforts in Afghanistan, June 2019

Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, September 2017

The collapse of the Afghan government to Taliban fighters has prompted the U.S. and its allies to evacuate their citizens from the country. However, China has bucked the trend by leaving its embassy in Kabul open and suggesting that it is interested in a cooperative relationship with the Taliban.

CNA analyst, Brian Waidelich joins John Stimpson, to discuss how China has a history of playing both sides when it comes to Afghan and how they might leverage their existing relationship with the Taliban to further their interests in the region.

CNA Report: Beyond Belt and Road

Biographies

Brian Waidelich is a Research Scientist in CNA's Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Program. His research interests include Chinese foreign policy and security affairs, as well as strategic competition.

Ariel Klein and Kaia Haney join John Stimpson to discuss their new framework for the four types of innovation, sustaining, breakthrough, disruptive and comprehensive. They explain how the Navy and other organizations can use the framework to identify what types of innovation they want and how they can organize to achieve it.

CNA Report: How to Think about Innovation

Biographies

Ariel Klein is a Senior Research Scientist with CNA's Organizational Roles and Mission Operations Program.

Kara Haney is a research intern at CNA. She is currently pursuing her master's at Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Jonathan Schroden and Carter Malkasian join Elizabeth Cutler to discuss the ongoing U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biographies

Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times.

Carter Malkasian was the special assistant for strategy to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, from 2015 to 2019. He is the author of the recent book, "The American War in Afghanistan: A History."

On this episode of CNA Talks we are covering the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between Iran and China which was signed on March 27, 2021. CNA analysts Mike Connell and Jeffrey Becker discuss the provisions of this deal, what both sides hope to get out of it, and what it means for the United States.

CNA Report: Beyond Belt and Road:

Biographies

Michael Connell is an expert in Persian-Gulf security-related issues, the armed forces of Iran, U.S.-GCC security cooperation, and adversary cyber policy and strategy.

Jeffrey Becker directs the Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Program. He is an expert in Chinese politics and Chinese foreign policy and security issues.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Jamie Biglow and Lars Hanson from CNA welcome Shawn Talmadge Deputy Secretary of public safety and homeland security for Virginia. Together the three of them discuss how states can protect their critical infrastructure in the age of cyber-attacks.

Biographies

Shawn Talmadge, Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has more than 25 years of experience in the emergency response and homeland security fields at the state and local levels, where he has responded to numerous state and regional level disasters.

Lars Hanson, Research Scientist at CNA, and an expert in supply chains, infrastructure systems, and natural resources. Lars supports the federal government as well as Regional, State, and Local governments in performing supply chain assessments focused on emergency management and catastrophic disaster scenarios, to support both blue-sky planning work and real-world disaster responses.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Ralph Espach welcomes Joseph Tulchin of the WWICS Group and Roman Román Ortiz of the National Defense University. Together they discuss the current security situation in Latin America, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of China in the region.

Biographies

Ralph Espach is an expert on inter-American security relations, especially regarding Central America and Brazil, the security implications of climate change, and security cooperation.

Román Ortiz is a professor at the U.S. National Defense University and vice president of the Cordillera Applications Group Corporation

Joseph Tulchin was a professor of Latin American History at Yale and then at the University of North Carolina before he moved to Washington, DC to become Director of the Latin American Program at the WWICS.

This time on our Polar Politics occasional series, Josh Tallis sits down with Dr. Cameron Carlson of Alaska Fairbanks University and Dr. Elizabeth Wishnick of Montclair State University. They discuss the idea of Arctic identities in the Arctic states, how they compare between different nations and their impact on great power competition in the region.

Biographies

Cameron Carlson is an associate Dean at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he recently served as the University's Center for Arctic Security and Resilience.

Elizabeth Wishnick is a Professor of Political Science at Montclair State University, a Senior Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University, and a Senior Research Scientist in CNA's China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division.

In this episode of CNA Talks, Elizabeth Clelan, Anita Hattiangadi, Yancey Hrobowski and Amanda Kraus discuss what big data can tell us about systemic bias in the military and how this can be applied to our institutions more broadly.

Population Representation in the Military Services

Biographies

Elizabeth Clelan is a Research Scientist in CNA's Resource and Force Readiness Division.

Anita Hattiangadi is the Director of Business Development & Client Relations for CNA's Resource and Force Readiness Division.

Amanda Kraus is a Principal Research Scientist with CNA's Resource and Force Readiness Division.

Yancey Hrobowski is a Research Analyst in CNA's Resource and Force Readiness Division.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Jonathan Schroden and Alex Powell discuss the plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. They cover the logistics of the withdrawal, how the Afghan Security Forces will operate without the U.S. forces, and what the withdrawal means for the future of Afghanistan.

Biographies

Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA's Countering Threats and Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. Schroden has deployed or traveled to Afghanistan 13 times.

Alex Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces. He has worked extensively on security issues in Afghanistan, traveling there numerous times to conduct assessments of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Dr. Michael Connell provides a primer on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the current negotiations attempting to bring the United States and Iran back into compliance, and how the suspected Israeli attack on the Natanz nuclear facility has impacted them.

Biographies

Michael Connell is an expert in Persian-Gulf security-related issues, the armed forces of Iran, U.S.-GCC security cooperation, and adversary cyber policy and strategy. He has served as CNA's Field Analyst to Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT).

Pamela Faber and Megan McBride sit down with David Knoll to discuss their new report Viral Extremism, which examines how Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs) are capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biographies

David Knoll is an expert in military innovation, irregular warfare and non-state armed groups.

Pamela Faber is an expert in security and development in conflict and post-conflict regions in Africa and the Middle East.

Megan McBride is a Research Analyst in CNA's Combatting Threats and Challenges Program.

Rear Admiral Mike McDevitt (ret.) sits down with Kevin Pollpeter to discuss his book, “China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power.” They cover topics including China's military presences abroad, the dispute over the South China Sea, and how the U.S. can continue to support its allies in the region.

Biographies

Rear Adm. Michael McDevitt (retired) is a senior fellow at CNA. During his 34-year naval career, McDevitt held four at-sea commands, including command of an aircraft carrier battle group. He spent all of his operational time in the Pacific, including a two-year assignment in Sasebo, Japan. McDevitt was Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group Fellow at the Naval War College.

Kevin Pollpeter is a research scientist in the CNA China Studies Program. He is an internationally recognized expert on China's space program and is widely published on Chinese national security issues, focusing on Chinese military modernization, China's defense industry, and Chinese views on information warfare.

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, CNA Talks presents Analysis in Combat. On our final episode, Admiral Arthur and Christine Fox sit down to discuss CNA's reconstruction of Operation Desert Storm. This effort examined all the data that CNA analysts gathered during the operation and looked for lessons on how the Navy could learn from it.

For more information about CNA's analysis in Desert Storm please visit our Analysis in Combat page.

Biographies

Admiral Stanley Arthur (retired), was the commander of Navy Central Command during Desert Storm. Following the war he served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1992 to 1995, culminating more than 37 years as an officer in the United States Navy.

Christine Fox is currently the Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. She led CNA's reconstruction effort after Desert Storm.

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, CNA Talks presents Analysis in Combat. On this episode, you'll hear about the story of the amphibious landing that never was.

You'll hear from Admiral Stanley Arthur who was the commander of Navy Central Command during the conflict, Major General Harry Jenkins who was the commander of Marine Forces 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Dr. Marvin Pokrant who served as the CNA field representative assigned to Navy Central Command.

Biographies

Admiral Stanley Arthur (retired), was the commander of Navy Central Command during Desert Storm. Following the war he served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1992 to 1995, culminating more than 37 years as an officer in the United States Navy.

Major General Harry Jenkins (retired), was the commander of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade during Desert Storm. After serving in the Gulf War, Jenkins was named Assistant Chief of Staff of Command, Control, Communications and Computers of the Marine Corps in 1991.

Marv Pokrant was the CNA analyst assigned to Navy Central Command during Desert Storm. After the war, he authored two volumes on the Navy's role in the conflict entitled “Desert Shield at Sea: What the Navy Really Did” and “Desert Storm at Sea: What the Navy Really Did.”

This week on our Polar Politics occasional series, Josh Tallis sits down with Walter Berbrick one of the lead authors of the new Department of the Navy, Arctic Strategy titled “A Blue Arctic.” Walter is an associate professor at the Naval War College.

Biographies

Dr. Walter Berbrick is an associate professor in the War Gaming Department and founding director of the Arctic Studies Group at the US Naval War College. He has led more than 20 major research projects and authored or co-authored more than a dozen reports and publications on joint and naval warfare, national security, strategy, and the Arctic region. Previously, he served as senior adviser to the special representative for the arctic region at the Department of State, was awarded an International Affairs Fellowship with the Council on Foreign Relations, and served more than 10 years in the US Navy.

August 2nd 1990, Iraqi troops invade Kuwait, sweep aside its army and occupy the nation.

To deter further aggression, President George HW Bush deploys the Marines to Saudi Arabia.

Most of the forces board amphibious ships, which will arrive in the Persian Gulf over 5 weeks later. But the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade deploys using a novel approach never before tested in wartime. Just 12 days later the unit's 15,000 Marines, flanked by their tanks, helicopters and artillery are in position and ready for combat.

On this episode of Analysis in Combat, Bill Morgan and Mark Geis discuss how the Maritime Prepositioning Forces made this rapid deployment possible.

Biographies

Mark Geis is executive vice president of CNA's Center for Naval Analyses, the Federally Funded Research and Development Center for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

Bill Morgan is a longtime CNA analyst, who spent a substantial time during the 1980s and ‘90s studying how to maximize the speed and efficiency of MPF.

On this episode of Analysis in Combat, the stories of two CNA analysts who were assigned to command ships during Desert Storm. Robert Ward stationed aboard USS John F. Kennedy the flagship of the Red Sea Battle Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Mixson. And Steve Karppi stationed aboard USS America the flagship of Cruiser Destroyer Group Two, commanded by Rear Admiral Katz.

Robert and Steve lived and worked alongside sailors, and analyzed Navy operations in real-time. On this episode of Analysis in Combat, you'll hear about their research and the moment they realized it would impact the course of conflict.

For more information about CNA's analysis in Desert Storm please visit our Analysis in Combat page.

Biographies

Steven Karppi is an expert in organizational analyses, operations research, and real-world operations analysis. Karppi has more than 30 years of experience at CNA.

Robert Ward is a Senior Research Scientist in CNA's System, Tactics and Force Development Division.

Related Links

Battle Group Zulu photograph

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, CNA Talks presents “Analysis in Combat. In this mini-series we'll be bringing you interviews with CNA field representatives, military officers and historians about the conflict and the impact of CNA's field program on the war effort.

On this episode, Dr. Steve Wills, CNA's resident naval historian join us to tell the story of the Navy's role in the first Gulf War.

Biographies

Lt. Cdr. Steven Wills: In 20 years as an active duty U.S. Navy officer, Wills served on a variety of small and medium surface combatants, including an assignment as the executive officer of a mine countermeasures ship.

Ralph Espach, director of analysis on Latin American political-military-strategic issues at CNA, sits down with Javier Melendez, director of the Central American research group Expediente Abierto; and Román Ortiz, vice president of the Cordillera Applications Group Corporation. They discuss the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in Latin America and what the crisis means for regional politics and security in the coming years.

Click here for the Spanish language companion podcast.

Biographies

Ralph Espach is an expert on inter-American security relations, especially regarding Central America and Brazil, the security implications of climate change, and security cooperation.

Javier Melendezis the director of the Central American research group Expediente Abierto.

Román Ortiz is the vice president of the Cordillera Applications Group Corporation

On the latest episode of our occasional series, Polar Politics, Josh Tallis sits down with Mark Rosen and Cornell Overfield. They discuss how the Universal Law of the Sea is applied in the Arctic region, and examine the territory disputes in the region.

Biographies

Cornell Overfield is an expert in transatlantic relations and international relations theory. His recent research topics include great power competition and the law of the sea.

Mark Rosen is an expert in maritime law and policy, maritime arms control, the Arctic and regulation of the global commons, international law and treaties, the law of armed conflict and homeland security.

Related Materials

Lawfare - Could a Kiwi Sailor's Northwest Passage Transit Break the Legal Ice Between Canada and the U.S.?

CNA - Unconstrained Foreign Direct Investment: An Emerging Challenge to Arctic Security

On this episode of CNA Talks, Amanda Kerrigan, April Herlevi and Rose Tenyotkin of CNA's China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division, discuss how China legally acquires foreign technology.

CNA Report- Economic Statecraft: How China Legally Accesses Foreign Technologies to Build Military Capabilities

Biographies

Amanda Kerrigan is a Research Analyst at CNA in the China Studies division. She has over a decade of China-related experience, living four of those years between Mainland China and Taiwan.

Rose Tenyotkin is an expert in China's economic statecraft, overseas foreign investment, export control laws, and nuclear weapons program.

April A. Herlevi is an expert in China's foreign economic policy, special economic zones, and economic statecraft.

On the latest episode of our occasional series, Polar Politics, Josh Tallis sits down with Mark Rosen and Cornell Overfield. They discuss the treaties and agreements that govern the Polar Regions writ large, before taking a deep dive into the Antarctic Treaty system.

Biographies

Cornell Overfield is an expert in transatlantic relations and international relations theory. His recent research topics include great power competition and the law of the sea.

Mark Rosen is an expert in maritime law and policy, maritime arms control, the Arctic and regulation of the global commons, international law and treaties, the law of armed conflict and homeland security.

Related Materials

Lawfare- Could a Kiwi Sailor's Northwest Passage Transit Break the Legal Ice Between Canada and the U.S.?

CNA- Unconstrained Foreign Direct Investment: An Emerging Challenge to Arctic Security

On this special edition of CNA Talks, we celebrate the U.S. Navy's 245th birthday. Rear Admiral Mike McDevitt and Lt. Commander Steve Wills who joined CNA after long Navy careers, sit down to discuss the Navy's future in an era of great power competition with China.

Biographies

Rear Adm. Michael McDevitt: During his 34-year naval career, McDevitt held four at-sea commands, including command of an aircraft carrier battle group. He spent all of his operational time in the Pacific, including a two-year assignment in Sasebo, Japan. McDevitt was Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group Fellow at the Naval War College and has been the Director of the East Asia Policy Office for the Secretary of Defense. McDevitt holds an M.A. in American Diplomatic History from Georgetown University and a B.A. in U.S. History from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the National War College.

Lt. Cdr. Steven Wills: In 20 years as an active duty U.S. Navy officer, Wills served on a variety of small and medium surface combatants, including an assignment as the executive officer of a mine countermeasures ship. He also held shore-based billets at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD), and at NATO Joint Forces Command (JFCNP), Naples, Italy. Wills holds a Ph.D. in military history and an M.A. in history from Ohio University, an M.A. in National Security Policy from the Naval War College, and a B.A. in history from Miami University, Ohio.

In our second episode on Consent Decrees, Hildy Saizow sits down with CNA analysts and consent decree monitors Rodney Monroe and Steve Rickman. They discuss the process of reforming police departments though the use of Consent Decrees, and the role of their local community in that reform.

Biographies

Hildy Saizow is a Senior Advisor in CNA's Center for Justice Innovation.

Rodney Monroe is an analyst in CNA's Center for Justice Innovation.

Stephen Rickman is an expert in police-community relations. He has worked for over 20 years in high-level positions in public safety and community support.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Hildy Saizow speaks with Laura Kunard and Scott Decker about Consent Decrees and their role in police reform.

Biographies

Hildy Saizow is a Senior Advisor in CNA's Center for Justice Innovation.

Laura Kunard is a Senior Research Scientist with CNA's Center for Justice Innovation.

Scott Decker is a Senior Fellow in CNA's Center for Justice Innovation.

On this episode of our occasional series, Justice Talks, CNA analyst Jennifer Lafferty sits down with Richard Chidester the County Attorney for Giles County, Virginia. In part two of their conversation, they discuss how the county has held in person hearings and other challenges facing the court.

Biographies

Jennifer Lafferty is an expert in the criminal justice system and has specialized knowledge in sentencing, courts and corrections.

Richard Chidester is the County Attorney for Giles County Virginia.

On this episode of our occasional series, Justice Talks, CNA analyst Jennifer Lafferty sits down with Richard Chidester the County Attorney for Giles County, Virginia. In part one of their conversation they focus on how the county is using digital tools, to hold hearings and the limitations of doing so in a rural district.

Biographies

Jennifer Lafferty is an expert in the criminal justice system and has specialized knowledge in sentencing, courts and corrections.

Richard Chidester is the County Attorney for Giles County Virginia.

CNA Analyst Ralph Espach sits down with Paulo Botta of Argentina Catholic University, to discuss Argentina's interests in Antarctica.

Biographies

Ralph Espach is an expert on inter-American security relations, especially regarding Central America and Brazil, the security implications of climate change, and security cooperation.

Paulo Botta is a professor at Argentina Catholic University and a researcher at the National Defense University in Buenos Aires.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Dr. Chris Ma discusses the Derby House Principles on Diversity and Inclusion in Professional Wargamming with their creators: Dr. Yuna Wong of the Institute for Defense Analyses, Professor Rex Brynen of McGill University, and Sally Davis of the UK Ministry of Defence.

Biographies

Chris Ma Ph.D directs CNA's Gaming and Integration Team.

Yuna Huh Wong Ph.D is a defense analyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). She is a frequent organizer for the Connections Wargaming Conference series, and co-chaired the 2016 and 2017 Military Operations Research Society (MORS) special meetings on wargaming.

Sally Davis is a senior analyst at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, part of the UK Ministry of Defence. She writes software in support of analysis, simulation, and wargaming.

Rex Brynen is professor of political science at McGill University, where he specializes Middle East politics, complex peace and humanitarian operations, and serious games. He is senior editor of the conflict simulation website PAXsims (http://www.paxsims.org).

On this episode of CNA Talks, Wargame designers and former professors, Jeremy Sepinsky and Justin Peachey sit down with Don Boroughs. They discuss what the latest ideas in education might tell us about successfully running a wargame.

Biographies

Jeremy Sepinsky is the Lead Wargame Designer at CNA's Center for Naval Analyses. He has designed and facilitated dozens of wargames for commands and organizations throughout the Department of Defense.

Justin Peachey is a Research Scientist with CNA's Gaming Team.

Related Materials

Rand: Understanding Teachers' Impact on Student Achievement

American Economic Review: Measuring the Impacts of Teachers II

Medium: Raj Chetty on Teachers, Social Mobility, and How to Find Answers to Big Questions (Ep. 23)

University of Auckland: Teachers Make a Difference, What is the research evidence?

On this episode of CNA Talks, Stephen Rickman, Zoë Thorkildsen and Hildy Saizow, discuss the future of police reform in the United States.

Biographies

Stephen Rickman, MA, is an expert in police-community relations. He has worked for over 20 years in high-level positions in public safety and community support.

Zoë Thorkildsen provides expertise in the areas of criminal justice and policing, program evaluation and research design.

Hildy Saizow is a Senior Advisor in CNA's Center for Justice Research and Innovation.

In the first episode of our new occasional series, Justice Talks, Vivian Elliott sits down with Brad Berry the District Attorney for Yamhill County, Oregon. They discuss how prosecutors' offices are adapting to the new normal, under COVID-19.

Vivian Elliott is the Assistant Director of CNA's Center for Justice Research and Innovation.

Biographies

Brad Berry has served as the District Attorney for Yamhill County, Orgeon since 1996. He received his law degree from Gonzaga University.

Vivian Elliott is an expert in criminal justice and emergency preparedness. She supports law enforcement agencies across the country in implementing and evaluating evidence-based policing strategies.

On this episode of CNA Talks Samantha Hay, CNA's newest wargamer, sits down with Cate Lea, CNA's most experienced wargamer. They discuss the process of designing a wargame and CNA's role in the broader wargaming community.

Biographies

Catherine Lea directs CNA gaming efforts on Asia-Pacific operations and U.S. installation support. She is an expert on Japanese security policy and U.S. base politics in Japan. Her field work at CNA includes assignments at Amphibious Group Two, U.S. Fleet Forces, and three years in Yokohama, Japan, providing analytical support to U.S. Navy commands.

Samantha Hay is a research analyst with CNA's Operational Warfighting Division. Prior to joining CNA, Samantha served as a senior research analyst with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), where she analyzed US security assistance efforts in Afghanistan.

Steve Wills joins Josh Tallis to discuss the interests of U.S. allies and partners in The Arctic.

Biographies

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy. Josh also served as the CNA field representative to Carrier Strike Group EIGHT during the Navy's first instantiation of Dynamic Force Employment in the High North.

Lt. Cdr. Steven Wills: In 20 years as an active duty U.S. Navy officer, Wills served on a variety of small and medium surface combatants, including an assignment as the executive officer of a mine countermeasures ship.

Related Materials

Coming in from the Cold: The Cold War at the Top of the World: Modeling the Pandemic to Protect Prisoners and Staff

On this episode of CNA Talks, Rose Tenyotkin and Satu Limaye discuss the legal economic tools China uses to acquire foreign technology.

Biographies

Rose Tenyotkin is an expert in China's economic statecraft, overseas foreign investment, export control laws, and nuclear weapons program.

Satu Limaye specializes in Asian international relations, specifically South and Southeast Asia. He has analyzed India's foreign and security policies and researched Indo-Pacific maritime strategy.

On this episode of CNA Talks, CNA analysts James "Chip" Coldren and Yee San Su sit down with Guy Bosch the warden of the correctional facility in Stillwater, MN. They discuss SAFER-C™, a simulation and planning model which helps correctional leaders make prisons safer, by tracking the spread of COVID-19 among prisoners and staff.

Biographies

Guy Bosch is the current Warden of the Correctional Facility in Stillwater, MN. He began his DOC career as a Corrections Officer in 1989. In the 31 years since he has served in multiple roles including Case Manager, Acting Lieutenant, Acting Corrections Program Director, Corrections Program Administration Manager Principal, Associate Warden of Administration, and Associate Warden of Operations.

James "Chip" Coldren is a justice research expert with over 35 years of research experience in justice system effectiveness, police evaluation, crime prevention, corrections, juvenile justice and restorative justice.

Yee San Su is an expert in analysis and assessments, particularly in the field of homeland security.

Related Materials

CNA InDepth: Modeling the Pandemic to Protect Prisoners and Staff

Dawn Thomas and Eric Trabert discuss the U.S. response to the Coronavirus in the 100 days since the outbreak. Including what we've done well, what we've done poorly and what we are likely to see in the next 100 days.

Biographies

Eric Trabert serves as Director and Chief Scientist of the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience. He is an expert in all-hazards preparedness with a focus on medical surge and mass casualty incident response.

Dawn Thomas is the Co-Director of CNA's Center for Emergency Management Operations. In 14 years at CNA, Thomas has worked with a large array of emergency preparedness issues, helping state, local, regional, and federal entities prepare for and respond to public health outbreaks (human and animal).

CNA Analyst Nilanthi Samaranayake sits down with Dr. Rebecca 'Bec' Strating of Australia's La Trobe University, to discuss Australia's interests in Antarctica.

Biographies

Nilanthi Samaranayake directs the Strategy and Policy Analysis Program. She has led several studies at CNA on Indian Ocean and South Asia security. Recently Samaranayake has worked on U.S.-India naval cooperation, water resource competition in the Brahmaputra River basin, and Sri Lankan foreign policy.

Dr. Rebecca 'Bec' Strating is the Executive Director of the La Trobe Asia team at La Trobe University in Australia. She is the author of the new book, Defending the Maritime Rules-based Order: Regional Responses to the South China Sea Disputes.

CNA experts Joel Silverman, Dawn Thomas and Eric Trabert discuss two areas of the COVID-19 recovery. How organizations can prepare for employees headed back to work and what guidance should be provided about the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19.

Biographies

Eric Trabert serves as Director and Chief Scientist of the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience. He is an expert in all-hazards preparedness with a focus on medical surge and mass casualty incident response.

Dawn Thomas is the Co-Director of CNA’s Center for Emergency Management Operations. In 14 years at CNA, Thomas has worked with a large array of emergency preparedness issues, helping state, local, regional, and federal entities prepare for and respond to public health outbreaks (human and animal).

Joel Silverman is a Senior Research Scientist for CNA’s Center for Critical Incident Analysis. Dr. Silverman has designed, facilitated, and/or evaluated over 60 emergency preparedness exercises in the fields of public health and medical operations, climate change, and animal disease response.

Following the spread of COVID-19 on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, CNA Naval Historian Steve Wills joins Josh Tallis to discuss the history of disease on navy vessels.

Biographies

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy. Josh also served as the CNA field representative to Carrier Strike Group EIGHT during the Navy's first instantiation of Dynamic Force Employment in the High North.

Lt. Cdr. Steven Wills: In 20 years as an active duty U.S. Navy officer, Wills served on a variety of small and medium surface combatants, including an assignment as the executive officer of a mine countermeasures ship.

Jon Schroden and Carter Malkasian discuss the peace deal between the United States and the Taliban. They go through its strengths and weakness and what it means for the future of Afghanistan.

Biographies

Jonathan Schroden directs the Center for Stability and Development at CNA. Since joining CNA in 2003, Schroden has deployed ten times to Afghanistan, twice to Iraq, and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East.

Carter Malkasian  was the special assistant for strategy to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, from 2015 to 2019. He spent nearly two years in Garmser district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, as a State Department political officer.

Related Materials

Foreign Affairs: The Real Test in Afghanistan Is Still to Come, by Carter Malkasian

CNA InDepth: The U.S. is Close to a Deal with the Taliban: What’s Next? By Jon Schroden

War on the Rocks: Getting Ahead of the Implications of a U.S.-Taliban Deal in Afghanistan

Eric Trabert and Amanda Kerrigan, sit down to discuss lessons from past outbreaks that can help us counter the Coronavirus.

Biographies

Eric Trabert serves as Director and Chief Scientist of the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience. He is an expert in all-hazards preparedness with a focus on medical surge and mass casualty incident response.

Amanda Kerrigan is a Research Analyst at CNA in the China Studies division. She has over a decade of China-related experience, living four of those years between Mainland China and Taiwan.

In the fourth episode of our occasional series, “Polar Politics,” Ron Filadelfo joins Josh Tallis to discuss, the future of military infrastructure in the arctic.

Biographies

Ron Filadelfo is the director of CNA’s Energy, Infrastructure, and Environment Program.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Zoë Thorkildsen sits down with Liza Cordeiro to discuss her research on correctional officer safety.

Biographies

Zoë Thorkildsen provides expertise in the areas of criminal justice and policing, program evaluation and research design. She was a lead analyst on the reconstruction of the 2014 Las Vegas ambush that killed two police officers and has conducted a study of police ambushes for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office in the Department of Justice.

On this episode of CNA Talks, Michael Connell and Jerry Meyerle discuss the strike on Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and how it will change the state of play in the Middle East.

Biographies

Michael Connell is an expert in Persian-Gulf security-related issues, the armed forces of Iran, U.S.-GCC security cooperation, and adversary cyber policy and strategy. He has served as CNA's Field Analyst to Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT).

Jerry Meyerle is an expert on Middle East regional issue, defense policy and military posture. He has served as an advisor with several military commands at the tactical and strategic levels

In the third episode of our occasional series, “Polar Politics,” Jeff Edmonds and Kate Baughman join Josh Tallis to discuss Russia's interests and operations in the Polar Regions.

Biographies

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy. Josh also served as the CNA field representative to Carrier Strike Group EIGHT during the Navy's first instantiation of Dynamic Force Employment in the High North.

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on cyber operations in Russia and Eurasia. Edmonds previously served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. His research at CNA focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions and Russian information operations.

Katherine Baughman is a research assistant with the Russia Studies Program. Her recent research focuses on Russian information warfare, specializing in Russian, Central European, and East European foreign and domestic policy.

In this week’s CNA Talks, we are bringing you a new episode in our occasional series on the modern information environment. Heidi Holz sits down with Lauren Dickey and Andrew Taffer to discuss their report on the Information Environment in the Pacific Island Countries.

Click here to read the full report: https://www.cna.org/centers/cna/cip/information-environment

Biographies

Heidi Holz is a research scientist in the China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division. Her research includes China's media environment and Chinese military doctrine and operations.

Lauren Dickey is a research analyst with CNA's China-Indo-Pacific Division, where she is a member of the Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Program. Her current research focuses on Chinese military strategy and Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific. 

Andrew Taffer is a research analyst in the China-Indo-Pacific Division. His research interests include Chinese foreign policy, Sino-American strategic stability, and U.S. strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

In this episode CNA Analyst Erica Downs interviews, Alex Joske, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, about the Chinese military’s efforts to benefit from collaboration with research institutions around the world.

This episode is part of our new occasional series on the modern information environment.

This interview was recorded in December 2018.

Biographies

Alex Joske is an Analyst working with the International Cyber Policy Centre.

Erica Downs is a Senior Research Scientist in CNA’s China Studies division.

In this episode CNA Analyst Erica Downs interviews, journalist and former advisor to the Australian government, John Garnaut, about China’s efforts to influence public policy in Australia.

This episode is part of our new occasional series on the modern information environment.

This interview was recorded in December 2018.

Biographies

John Garnaut is a consultant to Australian government and private clients where he advises on political risks for internationally engaged corporations and institutions.

Erica Downs is a Senior Research Scientist in CNA’s China Studies division.

In the second episode of our occasional series, “Polar Politics,” Adam Clemens and Mallory Ladd join Josh Tallis to discuss their experiences supporting Naval exercises in the Arctic.

Biographies

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy. Josh also served as the CNA field representative to Carrier Strike Group EIGHT during the Navy's first instantiation of Dynamic Force Employment in the High North.

Mallory Ladd is a is a research analyst in the Operational Warfighting Division at CNA where she conducts operations analysis for the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps specializing in Arctic maritime security.  

Adam Clemens is currently the CNA field representative to the Second Marine Expeditionary Force. He has observed and analyzed multiple exercises and has studied information environment operations, behavioral health, and staff organization and processes.

On this episode Kate Baughman, David Knoll and Kasey Stricklin discuss the Libyan civil war and how a Russian private military company is tilting the balance of power.

Biographies

Katherine Baughman is a research assistant with the Russia Studies Program. Her recent research focuses on Russian information warfare, specializing in Russian, Central European, and East European foreign and domestic policy.

David Knoll is an expert in military innovation, irregular warfare and non-state armed groups. He has examined ISIL military innovation for several U.S. national security organizations to help them better understand the group's tactics and ability to adapt and innovate

Kasey Stricklin is a research analyst with CNA's Russia program. Her current research focuses on Russian naval leadership, personnel and demographics. She has also conducted research at CNA on Russian nuclear strategy and thinking.

Related Materials

CNA InDepth: Russia’s Not-So-Invisible Role in the Libyan Conflict

CNA InDepth: Shifting the Scales in the Libyan Civil War

On this episode of CNA Talks, we are bringing you the first episode of our new occasional series, “Polar Politics,” hosted by Josh Tallis. In this series CNA experts will discuss the strategic implications of the Polar Regions, in an era of Great Power Competition. 

Ralph Espach and Nilanthi Samaranayake sit down to discuss the current state of play in the Polar Regions, and how the major players are positioning themselves to protect their interests in the regions.

Biographies

Nilanthi Samaranayake directs the Strategy and Policy Analysis Program. She has led several studies at CNA on Indian Ocean and South Asia security.

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy.

Ralph Espach is an expert on inter-American security relations, especially regarding Central America and Brazil, the security implications of climate change, and security cooperation.

Related Materials

CNA InDepth: What do Greenland and Mauritius Have in Common, and Why Should Washington Care?

Ron Filadelfo and Scott Truver discuss the Navy's marine mammal programs.

Biographies

Ron Filadelfo is the director of CNA’s Energy, Infrastructure, and Environment Program. His recent work has looked at the impacts of environmental restrictions on Navy training, and links between military sonar use and whale strandings.

Scott Truver is an expert in naval and maritime affairs. He has more than 40 years' experience in research, analysis, and publishing. At CNA, he conducts research and analysis of Navy forward-presence requirements and operations, future fleet architecture and mix, and "gray zone" operations.

The U.S. and North Korea held working level negotiations in Stockholm last weekend, but the talks broke down. Ken Gause returns to CNA Talks to discuss what went wrong.

Ken Gause is the director of the Adversary Analytics Program. He is CNA's senior foreign leadership analyst and has spent the last 20 years developing methodologies for examining leadership dynamics of hard-target, authoritarian regimes. His latest book is "North Korean House of Cards: Leadership Dynamics Under Kim Jong-un."

CNA Experts Elizabeth Clelan, Jeffrey Peterson and Jared Huff discuss challenges and opportunities in the current military recruiting environment.

Biographies

Elizabeth Clelan is an expert in military manpower topics including recruiting, retention, and assignment policy. Her recent research topics include the integration of women into combat arms occupations, servicemember use of tuition assistance and youth e-cigarette use.

Jeffery Peterson directs the Navy Manning, Education, and Training Program. As a retired Marine Corps Colonel with 30 years of active duty service, Peterson has real-world expertise in manpower, recruiting and training.

Jared Huff is a research scientist at CNA. His research focuses on Navy and Army manpower-related issues, with an emphasis on recruiting and retention. Recently, he has worked on measuring the impacts of Navy force-shaping policies on retention.

Description

This episode of CNA Talks was recorded live at CNA’s National Security Seminar, “Beyond Jihad: Countering Violent Extremism at Home and Abroad.” CNA’s Bill Rosenau sat down with Peter Bergen of New America and Arie Perliger, Professor and Director of Security Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell, to discuss the recent surge of domestic terrorism in the United States. 

Biographies

William Rosenau is CNA’s senior political historian and an expert on United States and international military advisory roles and missions, international police training, terrorist innovation and political warfare.

Peter Bergen is a National Security Analyst for CNN, Vice President of Global Studies & Fellows at New America and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University.

Arie Perliger is a Professor and Director of Security Studies at University of Massachusetts Lowell and the former Director of Terrorism Studies in the Combatting Terrorism Center of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He received his Ph.D in Political Science from University of Haifa.

Description

On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Jon Schroden and David Knoll reflect on eighteen years of the War on Terror.

Biographies

Jonathan Schroden directs the Stability and Development Program. Schroden is an expert on special operations forces, terrorism/counterterrorism, indigenous force development, security force assistance, insurgency/counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, stability operations and operations assessment.

David Knoll is an expert in military innovation, irregular warfare and non-state armed groups. He has examined ISIL military innovation for several U.S. national security organizations to help them better understand the group's tactics and ability to adapt and innovate

Related Materials

CNA: Independent Assessment of U.S. Government Efforts against Al Qaeda

Description

CNA experts Heidi Holz and Josiah Case sit down to discuss the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and the Chinese government's reaction.

Biographies

Heidi Holz is a research scientist in the China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs division. Her research includes China's media environment and Chinese military doctrine and operations.

Josiah Case is a research analyst in the China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs division. His research focuses on PRC media coverage of U.S. military activities in Asia.

In this episode, Bill Rosenau and Zack Gold sit down with Kasey Stricklin to discuss their report on proxy warfare. They discuss what makes proxy warfare an attractive option for policymakers, and some of the potential pitfalls. Finally, Bill and Zack point out that in the era of great power competition, proxy warfare is likely to become more frequent.

Bill Rosenau is an expert on United States and international military advisory roles and missions, international police training, terrorist innovation and political warfare. Some of his recent research has examined threats, governance and diplomacy in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, East Africa and Cuba.

Zack Gold  is an expert in U.S. Middle East policy, violent extremism, and non-state armed groups. At CNA, his recent research topics include U.S. efforts against Al-Qaeda, transnational challenges to U.S. national security, North Africa maritime capacity, and Balkans instability.

Click here to read the full report

Click here to Bill and Zack’s article in Defense One

Description

With the hurricane season around the corner, this episode of CNA Talks explores the importance of supply chains and communication in the aftermath of a disaster. CNA's Delilah Barton and Lars Hanson are experts in emergency preparedness, strategy and planning. They discuss CNA's work helping cities, states and the federal government respond to disasters.

Biographies

Delilah Barton serves as an Associate Director in CNA's Safety and Security Division and as the Vulnerable Populations practice lead, focusing on the prevention of human trafficking and abuse and exploitation of the elderly and disabled. She is an expert in emergency management and homeland security with 23 years of professional experience conducting assessments of emergency management programs and policies, writing plans, and conducting evaluations for exercises and real world events. Barton holds an M.B.A and is a certified Project Management Professional. 

Lars Hanson serves as a research scientist at CNA. He is an expert in infrastructure systems, natural resources, planning and decision support, environmental modeling, disaster resilience, and geospatial analysis. His recent research topics include supply chain analysis in the context of major disasters, water risk assessment for Navy and Marine Corps installations, global water stress analysis, environmental impacts of energy infrastructure development, and energy-water nexus analysis for the power sector. Hanson has an MS in water resources engineering from Tufts University, and BS in civil engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Related Materials

Click here to learn more about our supply chain work: 

Video:

https://www.cna.org/research/hurricane-supply-chain

Report:

https://www.cna.org/CNA_files/PDF/IRM-2018-U-018098-Final.pdf

Description

On this episode of CNA Talks, North Korea analysts Ken Gause, Christopher Steinitz and Sarah Vogler sit down to discuss Kim Jong Un's objectives in the nuclear negotiations. They point out that the nuclear program is an important part of Kim's legitimacy and something that he will not easily part with, and that the U.S. will probably have to live with a nuclear North Korea in the short term. Finally, the team lays out a path for the negotiations that could eventually reduce North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

Biographies

Ken Gause is the director of the Adversary Analytics Program. He is CNA's senior foreign leadership analyst and has spent the last 20 years developing methodologies for examining leadership dynamics of hard-target, authoritarian regimes. His latest book is "North Korean House of Cards: Leadership Dynamics Under Kim Jong-un."

Christopher Steinitz is the director of CNA's North Korea program. He has managed and contributed to studies of North Korea's strategic calculus, the role of nuclear weapons in North Korea's evolving national strategy, Kim Jong-un's use of provocations, and deterring and dissuading North Korean aggression. He has played and designed numerous wargames focused on North Korean leadership and military operations.

Sarah Vogler is an expert in adversary analysis, with a particular focus on North Korea. Her recent research topics include strategic calculus and decision-making in North Korea, North Korean command and control and U.S. security policy in Northeast Asia. Vogler has also worked on issues related to adversary approaches to cyberwarfare.

Description

Street robberies, substance abuse, repeat violent offenders and gun violence are the realities faced by police every day in communities throughout America. However, strategies and innovations honed over the past decade and grounded in the use of research and technology have helped police departments dramatically improve outcomes for the communities they serve. On this episode of CNA Talks Chris Sun and Chip Coldren, discuss CNA’s Strategies for Policing Innovation Initiative.

https://www.cna.org/research/SPI

Biographies

James "Chip" Coldren is the managing director of CNA's Justice Group. He has worked alongside the U.S. Department of Justice and many police departments across the country to study community policing, improve police-community relationships, implement body-worn camera policies and evaluate policing effectiveness.

Christopher M. Sun is an expert in planning and executing evidence-based technical assistance, training, and coaching for law enforcement and education stakeholders; running large-scale research and technical assistance operations; and communicating complex scientific and technical information in a user-friendly and intuitive manner.

Related Materials

Click here to learn more about the Strategies for Policing Innovation Initiative.

Click here to learn more about CNA’s Justice and Policing Program.

Description

In this episode of CNA Talks, Joshua Tallis sits down with Elizabeth Cutler to discuss his new book, "The War for Muddy Waters." Tallis articulates the need to conceptualize maritime security through a single framework, rather than as a series of individual threats, such as piracy and drug trafficking. He applies theories traditionally used in criminology to maritime security challenges, examining approaches to prevent crime as a whole rather than focusing on different types of crime.

Biographies

Joshua Tallis is a Research Scientist specializing in maritime security, irregular threats, and issues of naval and national security strategy. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, where his research at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence explored new concepts for maritime strategies in the littorals.

Related Materials

U.S. Naval Institute: The War for Muddy Waters Pirates, Terrorists, Traffickers, and Maritime Insecurity

Description

In part three of our occasional series on wargaming, CNA’s chief wargame designer Jeremy Sepinsky returns, accompanied by Robin Mays, research analyst for CNA’s Gaming and Integration program, to discuss how they analyze the results of a CNA Wargame. Jeremy starts by describing the "hotwash" discussion that occurs immediately after a wargame concludes, and what insights participants often take away. Throughout this episode, Jeremy and Robin describe the type of information note takers record during a wargame, and how that data gets used in the final analysis. Using examples from actual wargames about logistics, medical evacuation and disaster relief, they explain how analysis reveals insights not readily apparent to those who played the game.

Biographies

Jeremy Sepinsky is CNA's lead wargame designer. In FY18, he designed and facilitated more than ten wargames for Navy and Joint Commands, as well as for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. His wargames help strategic decision-makers understand the broad context of actions, as well as the tactical impacts of their decisions. (sepinskyj@cna.org)

Robin Mays is a research analyst for CNA’s Gaming and Integration program. She has led the analysis of several CNA wargames including many designed to answer questions around logistics and communication.

Wargaming Resources

Listen to Part 1 here: http://cna.libsyn.com/how-to-make-a-wargame

Listen to Part 2 here: http://cna.libsyn.com/cna-talks-playing-a-wargame

Advancing Globally Integrated Logistics Effort 2017 Wargame Report

Wargaming at CNA.

"The Art of Wargaming" by Peter Perla (ISBN: 978-1471033735) – The quintessential reference book for wargaming hobbyists and professionals.

"Simulating War" by Philip Sabin (ISBN: 978-1-4725-3391-3) – Explores wargaming in the context of simulations and operations analysis.

"Wargames Handbook: Third Edition" by James F Dunnigan (ISBN: 0-595-15546-4) – The origins of commercial wargaming by one of the hobby’s pioneers.

An introduction to Wargaming, by Matt Caffrey, AFRL (https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a500772.pdf)

https://connections-wargaming.com/ - A yearly wargaming conference that brings together all segments of the wargaming community, including hobbyists, professionals, and military experts.

https://paxsims.wordpress.com/  - A blog dedicated to simulation-based learning, using games for all aspects of war and peace.

https://seriousplayconf.com/ - A conference devoted to using games to explore serious problems.

https://casl.ndu.edu/ - The Center for Applied and Strategic Learning is the wargaming center at the National Defense University, which builds and executes wargames to educate defense professionals.

https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Academic-Departments/Wargaming-Department - The Naval War College, host of the US Navy’s Title X wargames.

https://www.mcwl.marines.mil/Divisions/Wargaming/ - Marine Corps Wargaming Laboratory – Wargaming Division, host of the US Marine Corp’s Title X wargames.

Description

In this episode of CNA Talks, Liza Corderio sits down with Monica Giovachino to discuss CNA's real world incident analysis, the study of how we respond to real world events, learn from them and improve our response to future events. After decades of experience, CNA has grown its reputation analyzing natural disasters, pandemics and terrorist incidents. Monica shares her experiences from disaster sites, lessons learned, and recommendations for communities dealing with disaster.

Biographies

Monica Giovachino has been with CNA since 1994 and serves as a Managing Director in CNA's Safety and Security division. Giovachino has extensive experience in the analysis of complex operations during real-world events and exercises. She has led after-action reviews of a variety of incidents, including Hurricane Katrina (2005), the H1N1 pandemic (2009), the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard (2013), the smoke and electrical arcing accident in the Washington, D.C., Metro (2014), and the shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, VA (2017).

Description

Sarah Vogler and Jeff Edmonds return to CNA Talks to discuss the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Sarah and Jeff discuss the motivations of both leaders and what they hoped to accomplish with this summit. They also discuss the larger historical and geopolitical context of the meeting.

News clips in this episode originally aired on Global News, CBS, VOA News, Fox Business and EuroNews.

Biographies

Sarah Vogler is an expert in adversary analysis, with a particular focus on North Korea. Her recent research topics include strategic calculus and decision-making in North Korea, North Korean command and control and U.S. security policy in Northeast Asia. Vogler has also worked on issues related to adversary approaches to cyberwarfare.

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on cyber operations in Russia and Eurasia. Edmonds previously served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. His research at CNA focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions and Russian information operations.

Nilanthi Samaranayake and Alexander Powell join CNA Talks to discuss the tragic terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Nilanthi provides necessary cultural context discussing the ethnic and religious makeup of the country, and points out that most Sri Lanka observers did not expect to see an attack targeting Christians.  Alexander than compares the attack to ISIS actions in other countries in South East Asia. Finally, they both discuss how Sri Lanka might move forward politically and economically.

The news clips used in this episode originally aired on ABC, The BBC, CNN, and NPR.

Nilanthi Samaranayake directs the Strategy and Policy Analysis Program. She has led several studies at CNA on Indian Ocean and South Asia security. Recently Nilanthi has worked on U.S.-India naval cooperation, water resource competition in the Brahmaputra River basin, and Sri Lankan foreign policy. Prior to joining CNA, Nilanthi completed a fellowship at the National Bureau of Asian Research, where she investigated Sri Lanka's deepening ties with China.

Alexander Powell is an expert on terrorist group tactics, counterterrorism, and special operations forces (SOF). Regionally, he focuses on South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining CNA, Alexander served as an analyst for the FBI Forfeiture and Seized Property Unit, and as an assistant at the National Security Program of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Related Materials

CNA: Independent Assessment of U.S. Government Efforts against Al Qaeda

Nilanthi Samaranayake’s articles on covering Sri Lanka.

• NIKKEI Asian Revenue: “Sri Lanka's crisis deepens as parliamentary speaker cries 'coup'”
• NIKKEI Asian Revenue: “China and U.S. play the Great Game in South Asia”

Description

In this episode of CNA Talks, Madison Estes joins Vince Manzo to discuss his new report, “Nuclear Arms Control Without a Treaty? Risks and Options after New START.” Vince points out that the New START treaty is set to expire in February 2021 and that many uncertainties and obstacles stand in the way of its renewal or replacement. For example, Russia would like a new treaty to cover missile defense systems, which the U.S. has called a nonstarter.

Madison highlights that while the New START Treaty is between Russia and the U.S., the treaty has implications for the entire international system. She calls China the third beneficiary of the treaty‘s transparency requirement, which makes the U.S. and Russia disclose the size of their nuclear forces.

Finally, Vince highlights some potential options for nuclear arms control without a treaty that could establish predictability, mutual restraint and transparency. 

Biographies

Vincent Manzo is an expert in nuclear weapons policy. His research portfolio includes deterrence, extended deterrence, escalation management, strategic stability, and arms control. Prior to joining CNA, Manzo worked in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy.

Madison Estes is an analyst with CNA's Strategy and Policy Analysis program. Her expertise is in nuclear weapons policy and arms control. Her research portfolio includes deterrence, extended deterrence, escalation, strategic stability, ballistic missile defense, and arms control.

Related Materials

Nuclear ARMS Control Without a Treaty? Risks and Options After New Start by Vince Manzo

Click here for the report summary and key findings.

Click here to register for CNA's event "An Uncertain Future: Nuclear Arms Control After New START"

Description

In this episode of CNA Talks James "Chip" Coldren and Eric Talbert explore findings as part of the Opioid Data Initiative. The two discuss collaborating with communities across the country and point out that every jurisdiction they engaged with was hard at work trying to solve this national epidemic. Chip and Eric agree that more data sharing between different stakeholders could help better address the problem. Finally, Eric lays out next steps in CNA's research including social network analyses to better understand drug activity within communities and where interventions would be most successful.

Biographies

James "Chip" Coldren is the managing director of CNA's Justice Group. He has worked alongside the U.S. Department of Justice and many police departments across the country to study community policing, improve police-community relationships, implement body-worn camera policies and evaluate policing effectiveness.

Eric Trabert is an Associate Director within CNA's Institute for Public Research. His research focuses on medical surge capacity and capability within the larger context of public health emergency preparedness and response. Eric has 14 years of experience performing public health operations research and program evaluation services for Federal, State, and local government agencies.

Related Materials

Description

CNA Talks: Playing a Wargame

In part two of our occasional series on wargaming, CNA’s chief wargame designer Jeremy Sepinsky returns, accompanied by Chris Steinitz, director of CNA’s North Korea program, to discuss what it’s like to play a CNA Wargame. Jeremy describes the different players in a wargame, emphasizing the value of people with operational experience who can accurately represent how military leaders would make decisions. Jeremy and Chris lay out the differences between playing Blue team and Red team. They also take us down the “road to war,” describing how the wargaming team lays out the scenario that starts the game.  Finally, Chris and Jeremy take us though the player’s decisions and how the results of a turn are adjudicated.

Biographies

Jeremy Sepinsky is CNA's lead wargame designer. In FY18, he designed and facilitated more than ten wargames for Navy and Joint Commands, as well as for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. His wargames help strategic decision-makers understand the broad context of actions, as well as the tactical impacts of their decisions. (sepinskyj@cna.org)

Christopher Steinitz  is the director of CNA’s North Korea program. He has managed and contributed to studies of North Korea’s strategic calculus, the role of nuclear weapons in North Korea’s evolving national strategy, Kim Jong-un’s use of provocations, and deterring and dissuading North Korean aggression. He has played and designed numerous wargames focused on North Korean leadership and military operations.

Wargaming Resources

Wargaming at CNA.

“The Art of Wargaming” by Peter Perla (ISBN: 978-1471033735) – The quintessential reference book for wargaming hobbyists and professionals.

“Simulating War” by Philip Sabin (ISBN: 978-1-4725-3391-3) – Explores wargaming in the context of simulations and operations analysis.

“Wargames Handbook: Third Edition” by James F Dunnigan (ISBN: 0-595-15546-4) – The origins of commercial wargaming by one of the hobby’s pioneers.

An introduction to Wargaming, by Matt Caffrey, AFRL (https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a500772.pdf)

https://connections-wargaming.com/ - A yearly wargaming conference that brings together all segments of the wargaming community, including hobbyists, professionals, and military experts.

https://paxsims.wordpress.com/  - A blog dedicated to simulation-based learning, using games for all aspects of war and peace.

https://seriousplayconf.com/ - A conference devoted to using games to explore serious problems.

https://casl.ndu.edu/ - The Center for Applied and Strategic Learning is the wargaming center at the National Defense University, which builds and executes wargames to educate defense professionals.

https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Academic-Departments/Wargaming-Department - The Naval War College, host of the US Navy’s Title X wargames.

https://www.mcwl.marines.mil/Divisions/Wargaming/ - Marine Corps Wargaming Laboratory – Wargaming Division, host of the US Marine Corp’s Title X wargames.

Overview

Liza Cordeiro hosts a special episode of CNA Talks with UC Berkeley Professor Steve Weber and CNA analyst Dawn Thomas discussing the Cybersecurity Futures 2025 project. Through a series of cybersecurity scenarios, this report helps decision-makers anticipate how cybersecurity challenges will evolve and understand how peers in different parts of the world think about those challenges. Steve and Dawn share their experiences gathering data for this project from participants all over the world, and lay out which of the project's scenarios they found most interesting.

Biographies

Dawn Thomas is an Associate Director and Research Analyst on the Safety and Security team at CNA. She is an expert in large-scale incident planning and response. In 14 years at CNA, Thomas has worked on a wide array of emergency preparedness issues, helping state, local, regional and federal entities prepare for and respond to cyberattacks, biological attacks, active shooters, large-scale evacuations, medical evacuation, earthquakes and tsunamis, mass casualty chemical incidents and disease outbreaks. Thomas came to CNA after studying terrorism and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she received her master’s degree.

Steve Weber is a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information and Department of Political Science. His research, teaching and advisory work focus on the political economy of knowledge intensive industries, with special attention to health care, information technology, software and global political economy issues relating to competitiveness. Weber has served as special consultant to the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, has held academic fellowships with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and was director of the Institute of International Studies at UC Berkeley from 2003 to 2009.

Related Materials

Learn more about the Cybersecurity Futures 2025 project here.

Overview

In a new occasional series on CNA’s policing programs, James “Chip” Coldren and Vivian Elliott sit down to discuss the capabilities of CNA’s Justice Group. Vivian lays out the group’s training and technical assistance programs including the Strategies for Policing Innovation initiative, the National Public Safety Partnership and the Body-Worn Camera Policy Implementation Program. Chip then discusses the program’s research projects, including efforts to increase officer safety and study the efficacy of body-worn cameras. Finally, the two discuss the Justice Group’s high-profile after-action report of an officer-involved shooting in Baltimore.

Biographies

James "Chip" Coldren is the managing director of CNA’s Justice Group. He has worked alongside the U.S. Department of Justice and many police departments across the country to study community policing, improve police-community relationships, implement body-worn camera policies and evaluate policing effectiveness.

Vivian Elliott is the assistant director of CNA’s Justice Group. She is currently the project director for two national training and technical assistance programs for the Department of Justice: Project Safe Neighborhoods and the National Public Safety Partnership.

Related Materials

Executive Sessions on Policing

• Innovative Approaches to Addressing Violent Crime
• Innovative Approaches to Addressing Violent Crime: Technology, Intelligence, and Analytics Technology, Intelligence, and Analytics

The Benefits of Body-Worn Cameras Report

Overview

As our society continues to navigate the age of "big data," CNA Research Scientists Justin Ladner and Jared Huff sit down to discuss data scraping. Justin defines data scraping as a computer program designed to visit websites and collect data with speed and accuracy that would be impossible for a human. Jared and Justin discuss the uses of data scraping, including job market analyses, military retention and even house hunting. They also discuss the limitations of data scraping, focusing on the lack of demographic data connected to online posts.

Biographies

Justin Ladner is a research scientist at CNA. His research focuses on military manpower issues such as retention, recruiting and retirement, with a particular emphasis on interactions between military and civilian labor markets. Much of his work emphasizes using web scraping to generate databases that can be applied to military manpower research questions.

Jared Huff is a research scientist at CNA. His research focuses on Navy and Army manpower-related issues, with an emphasis on recruiting and retention. Recently, he has worked on examining the link between the civilian economy and recruiting and retention, as well as measuring the impacts of Navy force-shaping policies on retention.

Description

In part one of our occasional series on wargaming, Don Boroughs sits down with CNA's lead wargame designer Jeremy Sepinsky to discuss what it takes to create a CNA wargame. Jeremy describes CNA's games as bespoke, informed, immersive and diverse, designed to solve very specific analytical problems. To illustrate this, Jeremy talks Don though a hypothetical wargame designed to determine whether the military should invest in an airborne laser. If you enjoy this episode, keep an eye out for part two of our series, in which Don and Jeremy will discuss what it's like to play in a CNA wargame.

Biographies

Jeremy Sepinsky is CNA's lead wargame designer. In FY18, he designed and facilitated more than ten wargames for Navy and Joint Commands, as well as for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. His wargames help strategic decision-makers understand the broad context of actions, as well as the tactical impacts of their decisions. (sepinskyj@cna.org)

Don Boroughs is a senior advisor for communications at CNA. He had more than 30 years’ experience as a magazine and radio journalist before joining CNA in 2016.

Wargaming Resources

Wargaming at CNA.

“The Art of Wargaming” by Peter Perla (ISBN: 978-1471033735) – The quintessential reference book for wargaming hobbyists and professionals.

“Simulating War” by Philip Sabin (ISBN: 978-1-4725-3391-3) – Explores wargaming in the context of simulations and operations analysis.

“Wargames Handbook: Third Edition” by James F Dunnigan (ISBN: 0-595-15546-4) – The origins of commercial wargaming by one of the hobby’s pioneers.

An introduction to Wargaming, by Matt Caffrey, AFRL (https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a500772.pdf)

https://connections-wargaming.com/ - A yearly wargaming conference that brings together all segments of the wargaming community, including hobbyists, professionals, and military experts.

https://paxsims.wordpress.com/  - A blog dedicated to simulation-based learning, using games for all aspects of war and peace.

https://seriousplayconf.com/ - A conference devoted to using games to explore serious problems.

https://casl.ndu.edu/ - The Center for Applied and Strategic Learning is the wargaming center at the National Defense University, which builds and executes wargames to educate defense professionals.

https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Academic-Departments/Wargaming-Department - The Naval War College, host of the US Navy’s Title X wargames.

https://www.mcwl.marines.mil/Divisions/Wargaming/ - Marine Corps Wargaming Laboratory – Wargaming Division, host of the US Marine Corp’s Title X wargames.

Overview

Following the administration's December 2018 announcement that U.S. forces would withdraw from Syria, CNA experts Michael Kofman and David Wallsh discuss how this will affect the state of play between U.S. allies and adversaries in the region. They question whether the U.S. has in fact defeated ISIS in Syria, and discuss how the withdrawal may leave the area vulnerable to a resurgence and to ongoing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdish fighters, both allies of the U.S. Kofman posits that the withdrawal will further Russian interests, while Wallsh adds that it may also play a role in a war of attrition between Iran and Israel.

Biographies

David Wallsh is an expert in Middle East affairs and international security issues, including alliance politics, security cooperation and building partner capacity. Prior to joining CNA, Wallsh served as an Expert Advisor for Middle East security issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, including in support of the 2013-2014 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, counter-ISIS policy, and the U.S.-Jordanian bilateral relationship.

Michael Kofman is an expert on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan. His research focuses on security issues in Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in defense and military analysis. Kofman has advised senior military and government officials on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan and represented the Department of Defense on numerous occasions before foreign officials and dignitaries.

Related Materials

The Russian Air Campaign in Syria by Anton Lavrov

Overview

In the wake of the recent mailed pipe bombs and Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting, CNA experts Bill Rosenau and Dawn Thomas discuss the historical context of domestic terrorism in America and the rise of the “lone wolf” and violent right-wing extremism over recent decades. They distinguish domestic terrorism from hate crimes and examine societal perceptions of the severity of each. They also review prevention and law enforcement response to hate crimes and domestic terrorism. Rosenau notes that while terrorism is perceived as the more critical threat, Americans are more likely to be a victim of a hate crime. They also point out that if current systems have been unable to predict and identify perpetrators in recent years, it suggests the traditional risk factors may be outdated while modern technology and prediction tools are underutilized. Thomas questions why Americans are increasingly susceptible to malign influence, and Rosenau emphasizes the need for more academic study on domestic terrorism, as it poses a greater threat to American civilians than foreign terrorism.

Biographies

Bill Rosenau is an expert on United States and international military advisory roles and missions, international police training, terrorist innovation and political warfare. He is a Senior Policy Historian with CNA’s Center for Stability and Development and his recent research has examined threats, governance and diplomacy in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, East Africa and Cuba. He is the author of a forthcoming book, Tonight We Bomb the U.S. Capitol: The Explosive True Story of May 19^th, America’s First Female Terrorist Group, to be published in June, 2019.

Dawn Thomas is an Associate Director and Research Analyst on the Safety and Security team of CNA, and is an expert in large-scale incident planning and response. In 14 years at CNA, Thomas has worked with a large array of emergency preparedness issues, helping state, local, regional, and federal entities prepare for and respond to biological attacks, active shooters, large-scale evacuations, medical evacuation, earthquakes and tsunamis, mass casualty chemical incidents, public health outbreaks (human and animal), and cyberattacks. Thomas came to CNA after studying terrorism and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she received her Master’s degree.

Related Materials

The “First War on Terrorism?”: U.S. Domestic Counterterrorism During the 1970s and Early 1980s, by William Rosenau

Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America, by Kathleen Belew

Overview

CNA's Russia experts Jeffrey Edmonds and Michael Kofman recap the Helsinki Summit to break down what has been overplayed or overlooked in the debate, what the Russians hoped to get out of the meeting and did or didn't achieve, and the nuances which are often lost in translation between the U.S. and Russian policy communities. They also outline some of the struggles the U.S. faces in determining policy goals at the same time as framing a new strategic vision.

Biographies

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on cyber operations in Russia and Eurasia. Edmonds previously served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. His research at CNA focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions, and Russian information operations.

Michael Kofman is an expert on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan. His research focuses on security issues in Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in defense and military analysis. Kofman has advised senior military and government officials on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan and represented the Department of Defense on numerous occasions before foreign officials and dignitaries.

Overview

In an excellent primer on the current state of affairs between North Korea and the United States, CNA experts Ken Gause, Sarah Vogler and Christopher Steinitz discuss the June 12 summit and how the regime's objectives changed in the years and months leading up to it. They believe that Kim Jong Un's 2018 New Year’s Day speech indicated a shift from a brinkmanship to an engagement posture, as well as a shift in focus from the nuclear program to economic progress. They explain how Kim’s strategic calculus differs from his father's, what is at stake for the regime and its legitimacy, and North Korea's uneasy relationships with South Korea, China, and the United States.

Biographies

Christopher Steinitz focuses on adversary analytics and strategic and operational naval issues. A Middle East specialist and Arabic linguist by training, he has applied his expertise to a wide range of studies and reach-back support efforts dealing with the Arab world and the Greater Middle East and has contributed to numerous CNA studies of the strategic, political-military and social affairs of the region.

Ken Gause is the director of the International Affairs Group, a part of CNA's Center for Strategic Studies. He is CNA's senior foreign leadership analyst and has spent the last 20 years developing methodologies for examining leadership dynamics of hard-target, authoritarian regimes. In particular, he is an internationally respected expert on North Korea who has written three books on North Korean leadership. His latest book is "North Korean House of Cards: Leadership Dynamics Under Kim Jong-un."

Sarah Vogler is an expert in adversary analysis, with a particular focus on North Korea. Her recent research topics include strategic calculus and decision-making in North Korea, North Korean command and control, and U.S. security policy in Northeast Asia. Vogler has also worked on issues related to adversary approaches to cyber warfare.

Overview

In this two part CNA Talks episode, CNA SVP Mark Rosen and Cara Thuringer discuss the 2017 report “Unconstrained Foreign Direct Investment: An Emerging Challenge to Arctic Security,” their winning maritime security piece at the 2018 CIMSEC Forum for Authors and Readers. The study draws on a wide range of sources to compile a list of 21 Arctic investments of more than $1 billion by Chinese companies and banks, as well many other smaller investments. Rosen and Thuringer examine the legal frameworks for foreign direct investment in the six Arctic nations to reach the conclusion that national laws alone are not sufficient to protect the sensitive region from harm to the marine environment that would spread well beyond national boundaries.

Biographies

Mark Rosen is CNA’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel and an expert in maritime law and policy, maritime arms control, the Arctic and regulation of the global commons, international law and treaties, the law of armed conflict and homeland security. Rosen is a retired Navy captain who served with the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps as an international law attorney and military planner.

Cara Thuringer is a research specialist at CNA with expertise in environmental analysis, water resource management, climate change studies, and communications. She supports CNA’s Military Advisory Board (MAB), an elite group of retired military flag officers, as they investigate the national security implications of: global transition of advanced energy; changing water stress and its influence on conflict; and decreasing Arctic Sea ice due to climate change.

Overview

Russia experts Michael Kofman and Jeffrey Edmonds share their experience attending the Moscow Conference on International Security in April, 2018. They discuss the importance of understanding how Russian defense ministers view Russia’s relationships with the U.S., E.U., Syria, and China, and the general tone of structural confrontation demonstrated at the conference. Attending the conference allowed them to see first-hand that these officials have a fundamentally different understanding of reality than their American counterparts.

Biographies

Michael Kofman is an expert on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan. His research focuses on security issues in Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in defense and military analysis. Kofman has advised senior military and government officials on Russia, Eurasia and Pakistan and represented the Department of Defense on numerous occasions before foreign officials and dignitaries.

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on cyber operations in Russia and Eurasia. Edmonds previously served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. His research at CNA focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions, and Russian information operations.

Overview

In this episode of CNA Talks, we feature STEMwire Live, a podcast by CNA’s Education division on career and technical education (CTE), particularly in the STEM fields. Dr. Brittany Cunningham talks with CNA President and CEO Dr. Katherine McGrady to explore how a STEM degree prepared her for leading a nonprofit research organization. She shares details of her early educational journey and advice for students of today.

Biographies

Katherine McGrady is President and CEO of CNA, who began her career with CNA as an analyst in 1988. As the field representative, she served in the Persian Gulf during the first Iraq war (Desert Shield and Desert Storm), and also deployed as part of the Unified Task Force to Mogadishu, Somalia. McGrady holds degrees in chemistry, macromolecular science and engineering.

Brittany Cunningham is an expert in study design and implementation, data analysis, and program evaluation, with an emphasis on education. She leads the education division's work on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research.

Related Materials

Interactive Tool: Highly Ranked Cyber-Security Programs

Interactive Tool: High-wage, High-demand Job Market Analysis Tool

Brief: Appalachia’s STEM Occupation Forecast

Report: Manufacturing a Way to Career Readiness

Infographics: Leaks in the STEM Pipeline

STEM in the Appalachia Region

Overview

In Episode 14 of CNA Talks, CNA analyst Vince Manzo and special guest Elaine Bunn take a deep dive into the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released in early February of 2018. They discuss the purpose of the NPR, what makes it unique to previous directives, the strategic challenges that this NPR addresses, the ongoing debate over cost, tradeoffs and strategic value, and more.

Biographies

Vincent Manzo is an expert in nuclear weapons policy. His research portfolio includes deterrence, extended deterrence, escalation management, strategic stability, and arms control.

M. Elaine Bunn served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy between 2013 and 2017. She directed the offices of the Under Secretary for Policy that develop and review Departmental and National policies for nuclear and missile defense capabilities.

Related Materials

• 2018 Nuclear Posture Review
• 2010 Nuclear Posture Review
• Report on Nuclear Employment Strategy

Overview

"Disinformation for Russia is cheap, it’s quick, it’s low cost with high yield gain." In this episode of CNA Talks, Russia experts Vera Zakem and Jeffrey Edmonds discuss Russian disinformation tactics and the strategic calculus that motivates them. They warn that Russian leaders believe that the US is attempting in equal measure to undermine their regime, and whether it’s meddling in US elections or cheating in the Olympics, the Russians will do whatever it takes to defend their national interests and place in the world order.

Biographies

Vera Zakem is a research scientist and director of strategy and partnerships for CNA’s Center for Strategic Studies. Zakem has been published by NPR and The National Interest on Russian disinformation tactics and malign influence. She leads CNA's work in assessing internal vulnerabilities to vulnerable populations, Europe and Russia, joint civil affairs, and media and influence.

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on cyber operations in Russia and Eurasia. Edmonds previously served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. His research at CNA focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions, and Russian information operations.

Overview

In this 75th anniversary special episode of CNA Talks, Executive Vice President Mark Geis leads a discussion on the historical significance of the U.S. Navy's newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and CNA's role in the planning for it over the years. He is joined by experts Dr. Tim Roberts, Dr. George Stewart, and Admiral William Fallon. CNA analysts spent two decades helping to plan for the USS Ford, which was delivered to the Navy this year. Listen to experts discuss the concept and capabilities of the Ford-class ships.

Biographies

Mark Geis is Executive Vice President of CNA’s FFRDC, the Center for Naval Analyses. He is an expert in U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, organizational analyses, operational logistics, operations research, real-world operations analysis and program management.

Dr. Tim Roberts is a research team leader and director of the aviation and systems technology team at CNA. He has extensive experience studying carrier and strike operations.

Dr. George Stewart is a principal research scientist who, since joining CNA in 1985, has applied a hard scientist's perspective to operational problems. He has assisted the Navy with future planning and programming, most recently related to procurement of aviation systems.

Admiral William Fallon is a senior fellow at CNA and a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral who served for over 41 years. Adm. Fallon served as Commander of the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Pacific Command, and the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, as well as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

Overview

Despite experiencing setbacks over the last 16 years, Al Qaeda has proven to be a learning organization that has evolved and expanded. On this episode of CNA Talks, experts Jonathan Schroden, Julia McQuaid, Pamela Faber and Zack Gold discuss the findings released in CNA's independent assessment of U.S. government efforts against Al Qaeda.

Biographies

Dr. Jonathan Schroden is director of CNA's Center for Stability and Development and CNA's Special Operations Program. He is an expert in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, stability operations, operations assessment, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.

Julia McQuaid is director of CNA’s Program on Transnational Challenges. She is an expert on international security issues, including terrorism and counterterrorism, armed groups, transnational threats, maritime security, partner capacity building, program evaluation, performance assessments, and water stress as a driver of conflict and instability.

Pamela Faber is an associate research analyst at CNA. Her research is at the intersection of security and development in conflict and post-conflict regions with a regional focus on Africa.

Zack Gold is an associate research analyst at CNA focused on non-state armed groups. He is an expert in Egyptian security and U.S. democratization, development, and security policy in the Middle East.

Overview

Artificial Intelligence and unmanned systems are rapidly changing the dynamics of warfighting and military power. With Russia, China, and other nations investing in and testing these capabilities, the United States has to understand what capabilities other countries have and how their governments could seek to use them. On this episode of CNA Talks, experts Larry Lewis, Samuel Bendett, and Kevin Pollpeter discuss unmanned military systems, how Russia and China are developing and employing their capabilities, and what the United States should do in response.

Biographies

Dr. Larry Lewis is the Director of the Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence at CNA. His areas of expertise include lethal autonomy, reducing civilian casualties, identifying lessons from current operations, security assistance, and counterterrorism. Lewis spent a decade analyzing real world operations as the project lead and primary author for many of DOD's Joint Lessons Learned studies. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Rice University.

Samuel Bendett is an Associate Research Analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses' International Affairs Group, where he is a member of the Russia Studies Program. His work involves Russian defense and security technology and developments, Russian geopolitical influence in the former Soviet states, as well as Russian unmanned systems development, Russian naval capabilities and Russian decision-making calculus during military crises. Bendett received his M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University and B.A. in Politics and English from Brandeis University.

Kevin Pollpeter is a Research Scientist at CNA. Before joining CNA he has served as deputy director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) project on the Study of Innovation and Technology in China, deputy director of the East Asia Program at Defense Group Inc., and a researcher at RAND. A Chinese linguist, he holds an MA in international policy studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at King's College London.

Overview

As initial search and rescue operations in Houston shift to long-term recovery efforts, three CNA experts discuss the various challenges Houston will face based on their experiences with large-scale disaster recovery efforts.  Monica Giovachino moderates as Jason McNamara and Dawn Thomas share perspectives gathered from years of experience working at FEMA and studying disaster response, including major concerns from housing and mass care to considering important questions for federal and local agencies as one of America’s largest cities begins to recover and rebuild.

Biographies

Monica Giovachino is the Managing Director for CNA's Safety and Security division and has more than 15 years of experience supporting preparedness programs for federal, state, and local agencies. She has led evaluations of complex, national exercises, as well as real-world incidents, including the 2013 mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard and the 2017 shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, VA.

Jason McNamara is the Senior Director of Emergency Management Programs at CNA and is an established emergency management and homeland security expert. He previously served as the Chief of Staff for FEMA, where he helped implement organizational reforms that contributed to FEMA responding effectively to some of the busiest, and most costly, disaster seasons on record.

Dawn Thomas is an Associate Director in CNA’s Safety & Security Division.  She has contributed to the analyses of real-world operations, including the federal response to Superstorm Sandy, the U.S. Navy response Hurricane Katrina, and the HHS response to Hurricane Rita.  In addition, she has worked with state, local, regional, and federal entities in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events.

Related Materials

• Listen to Episode 7 below for more on Emergency Management and Preparedness
• CNA's Safety and Security division and Homeland Security and Emergency Management programs
• The Role of Groceries in Response to Catastrophes
• Why the Emergency Management Community Should be Concerned about Climate Change
• Climate Change, Migration, and Emergencies: In Search of a Policy Framework

Overview

In Episode 8 of CNA Talks, Dr. David Knoll moderates a conversation about a newly released paper, Decade of War: Applying Past Lessons to the Counter-ISIS Campaign. He is joined by the report’s author, Dr. Larry Lewis, and analyst Zack Gold to discuss the rapid adaptation of technology and information operations by non-state armed groups; how legitimate nation states can respond to non-state armed groups which are not bound by truth; and how lessons learned from adversaries can be most effectively integrated into future tactics across the US military.

Biographies

Dr. David Knoll, host of this episode, is a research analyst at CNA, where he focuses on military innovation, irregular warfare, non-state armed groups, the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr. Larry Lewis is a principal research scientist at CNA whose focus areas include reducing civilian casualties, lethal autonomy, counterterrorism, human rights, arms transfers and security assistance, and IHL compliance. His other areas of expertise include counterinsurgency and high value targeting in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Colombia, and elsewhere.

Zack Gold is an associate research analyst at CNA focused on non-state armed groups. He is an expert on Egyptian security, Islamist political and violent organizations, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Related Materials

• Decade of War: Applying Past Lessons to the Counter-ISIS Campaign, by Dr. Larry Lewis
• CNA's Center for Strategic Studies

Overview

Tune in to hear CNA's Tim Beres, David Kaufman, Monica Giovachino, and Jason McNamara discuss CNA Safety and Security's work on homeland security, domestic preparedness, and emergency management over the last two decades. The four experts discuss the Oklahoma City bombing, the Tokyo subway sarin gas incident, the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the impact of these events on homeland security preparedness, as well as the planning and economic implications of natural disasters.

Biographies

Tim Beres, host of this episode, is Executive Vice President of CNA's Institute for Public Research. Before joining CNA, he served as a career member of the Senior Executive Service in DHS, and he held a variety of senior leadership positions directing and implementing national homeland security programs in DHS and DOJ.

David Kaufman is Vice President and Director of CNA's Safety and Security division. Prior to CNA, he served as FEMA's Associate Administrator for Policy, where he worked to institutionalize a long range vision and planning capability for the emergency management community nationally, and with DHS to evaluate the risks of climate change impacts on DHS operations.

Monica Giovachino is the Managing Director for CNA's Safety and Security division and has more than 15 years of experience supporting preparedness programs for federal, state, and local agencies. She has led evaluations of complex, national exercises, as well as real-world incidents, including the 2013 mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard and the 2017 shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, VA.

Jason McNamara is the Senior Director of Emergency Management Programs at CNA and is an established emergency management and homeland security expert. He previously served as the Chief of Staff for FEMA, where he helped implement organizational reforms that contributed to FEMA responding effectively to some of the busiest, and most costly, disaster seasons on record.

Related Materials

• CNA's Safety and Security division and Homeland Security and Emergency Management programs
• CNA's Institute for Public Research. IPR has focus areas in air traffic management, education, safety and security, energy, water, and climate issues.
• The Role of Groceries in Response to Catastrophes by Philip Palin

Overview

This week listen to CNA analyst Dr. William Rosenau discuss Latin American security with CNA’s Dr. Ralph Espach and guest scholar Dr. Joseph Tulchin. The three experts talk about the United States’ bilateral relationships with Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba; the domestic situation in Venezuela; Cuba and regional security; Central America; post-FARC Colombia; and environmental security.

Biographies

Dr. William Rosenau, host of this episode, is a senior research scientist at CNA. He has over 25 years of experience in defense analysis and is an expert on political extremism, propaganda and political warfare, counterterrorism, and policy history.

Dr. Ralph Espach is director of Latin American Strategic Affairs at CNA. He is an expert in U.S.-Latin America security relations, climate change and security, and security cooperation monitoring and assessment. His 2016 book, “The Dilemma of Lawlessness” from the Marine Corps University Press, examines the effects of organized crime in Guatemalan border communities. His research focus is on Central America, Brazil, Colombia, and maritime security.

Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin is a scholar of Latin American affairs with published research on hemispheric relations, citizen security and the governance of cities. His latest book, Latin America in International Politics: Challenging US Hegemony, was published last year by Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Related Materials

• CNA’s Latin American Affairs Program
• Marine Corps University Press and CNA book, The Dilemma of Lawlessness: Organized Crime, Violence, Prosperity, and Security along Guatemala’s Borders, coauthored by Dr. Ralph Espach
• "In Praise of Benign Neglect" by Dr. Ralph Espach in The Cipher Brief
• "Brazil-U.S. Security Relations During the Obama Era" by Dr. Ralph Espach in the book, The Obama Doctrine in the Americas

Overview

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has received a lot of attention for their innovative tactics on and off the battlefield including their messaging, media activities and technology use. How innovative are they really? And, how should the U.S. and allies react? Listen along as Dr. Eric Thompson talks with four of CNA's experts to discuss what you need to know about ISIS's tactics. Topics include:

• ISIS's use of social media
• ISIS's use of drones, car bombs and tunnels
• The importance of holding territory
• ISIS's affiliates
• The effects of and reasons for barbarity
• The transfer of knowledge online
• The role of virtual technology

Biographies

Dr. Eric Thompson, a Middle East political and military affairs specialist, is vice president and director of CNA's Center for Strategic Studies. His most recent work addressed counterterrorism operations, security cooperation activities, military-to-military relations with Egypt, interoperability with Turkish and Algerian maritime forces, and coalition building for military operations in the CENTCOM region.

Dr. Jonathan Schroden is director of CNA's Center for Stability and Development and CNA's Special Operations Program. He is an expert in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, stability operations, operations assessment, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.

Dr. David Knoll is a research analyst at CNA, where he focuses on military innovation, irregular warfare, non-state armed groups, the Middle East and North Africa.

Pamela Faber is an associate research analyst at CNA. Her research is at the intersection of security and development in conflict and post-conflict regions with a regional focus on Africa.

Zack Gold is an associate research analyst at CNA focused on non-state armed groups. He is an expert in Egyptian security and U.S. democratization, development, and security policy in the Middle East.

Overview

This week CNA Board member and George Mason University professor Laurie Robinson sits down with a few of CNA's policing experts to discuss the most pressing topics in justice and policing today. The conversation covers everything from police reform and evidence-based research to body-worn cameras and police departments' use of social media. Hear what some of today's top criminal justice experts think about training, transparency and accountability, community policing, crisis intervention, and federal support of the police.

Biographies

Laurie Robinson, host of the episode, is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law, & Society at George Mason University. She has been involved in national criminal justice policy for more than three decades. She has twice served as a Senate-confirmed, Presidentially-appointed Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, the Department's research, statistics and grants agency.

Dr. James "Chip" Coldren is managing director of the Justice Group in CNA's Safety and Security division. He has over 35 years of research experience with justice system reform, evaluation of police, crime prevention, corrections, juvenile justice and restorative justice programs.

Dr. Laura Kunard is a senior research scientist for justice programs in CNA's Safety and Security division. Laura is an experienced researcher, project manager and police trainer with expertise in police reform, police interactions with people with mental illness and procedural justice practices.

James "CHIPS" Stewart is director of public safety in CNA's Safety and Security division. CHIPS is a nationally recognized expert in criminal justice system assessment, community policing, use of force and collaborative reform.

Zoë Thorkildsen is a research analyst in the Justice Group within CNA's Safety and Security division. Her expertise is in criminal justice and policing, program evaluation, and research design and analysis.

Related Materials

• CNA's Safety and Security division
• "Forward Momentum: Examples from the Advancing 21st Century Policing Initiative" by Tammy Felix, Laura Kunard, Ph.D., James "Chip" Coldren, Ph.D., and James "CHIPS" Stewart in The Police Chief Magazine
• "Body-Worn Police Cameras: Separating Fact From Fiction" by CNA's James "Chip" Coldren, Jr., Ph.D. and Michael White, Ph.D. in PM Magazine
• CNA/COPS report, Las Vegas After-Action Assessment: Lessons Learned from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Ambush Incident
• CNA/COPS report, Ambushes of Police: Environment, Incident Dynamics, and the Aftermath of Surprise Attacks Against Law Enforcement
• CNA report, Executive Session: The Future of Police Reform Efforts in the U.S.

Overview

In episode 3, Dr. Dov Zakheim sits down with three CNA experts to discuss maritime issues in Asia. Bringing together a wealth of research knowledge and real-world experience in the region, Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt, U.S. Navy (ret), Mark Rosen and Catherine Lea discuss China’s maritime capabilities, the South and East China Seas, relations between the Philippines, China and the United States, Russia’s role in Asia, the relationship between the Indian Navy and the U.S. Navy and much more.

Biographies

Dr. Dov Zakheim, host of the episode, is a senior fellow at CNA. Previously, he served as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt, U.S. Navy (ret) is a senior fellow at CNA. He is an expert on maritime security issues along the Indo-Pacific littoral and the maritime dimension of China’s national strategy. During his navy career, Rear Admiral McDevitt spent his operational time in the Pacific and held four at-sea commands including an aircraft carrier battle-group. He was the Director of the East Asia Policy office for the Secretary of Defense during the George H.W. Bush Administration.

Mark Rosen, an international and national security lawyer, is senior vice president, general counsel and board secretary at CNA. He has authored numerous international and operational law studies and is an expert on maritime disputes, law of the sea, law of armed conflict, international agreements and arms control.

Catherine Lea is a senior research scientist at CNA. She directs studies focused on Asian maritime security, U.S. basing posture in Asia and gaming future operations in the Asia-Pacific for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Her expertise includes the U.S.-Japan alliance, Marine Corps Pacific posture and future operations in anti-access, area-denial environments.

Related Materials

• CNA’s Strategic Studies division
• News Coverage of CNA Experts: The South China Sea
• China and Maritime Power
• The Long Littoral Project
• CNA report, Becoming a Great "Maritime Power": A Chinese Dream
• CNA report, Gaming Sea-based Multinational HA/DR Operations at PACOM Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2016
• CNA report, Improving U.S.-India HA/DR Coordination in the Indian Ocean
• CNA report, U.S.-India Security Burden-Sharing? The Potential for Coordinated Capacity-Building in the Indian Ocean
• CNA Maritime Asia Project
  • Workshop 1: The Yellow and East China Seas
  • Workshop 2: Naval Developments in Asia
  • Workshop 3: Japan’s Territorial Disputes
  • Workshop 4: Maritime Security Issues in East Asia

Overview

To recognize National Career and Technical Education Month 2017, CNA Education experts discuss the importance of CTE and its role in workforce development.

Podcast topics included:

• Promising trends in CTE and innovative, successful practices in CTE classrooms
• Successful industry-CTE partnerships and the next frontier for CTE
• The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and legislative reforms at the federal, state and/or local levels that support improvements in CTE
• CNA Education work related to high-wage, high demand jobs and the gaps within the CTE research realm

Biographies

Liza Cordeiro, host of this episode, is CNA Education’s senior advisor for marketing. She leads all public relations, marketing, advertising, and new media strategies, with a focus on increasing national awareness of research, technical assistance, and other products developed by CNA Education.

Lul Tesfai is a senior policy director of CNA’s Education division. Her expertise includes policy and strategy development for adult career and technical education (CTE) programs. Lul most recently served as director of policy for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.

Kevin Oshinskie is a project associate at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). He facilitates projects and activities that help ACTE build stronger strategic partnerships with other organizations and companies, including public awareness activities such as CTE Month.

Related Materials

• CNA's Education division
• CNA Education’s STEMwire Initiative
• CNA reports The CTE Equation in Florida and The CTE Equation in Tennessee examine whether CTE programs in Florida and Tennessee are preparing students for high-growth/high-wage career fields. Read more.
• Association of Career and Technical Education and CTE Month 2017

Overview

In light of this month’s presidential transition, six CNA analysts sat down to discuss foreign policy advice for the next administration. From Asia to Europe to the Middle East, the commentators covered some of the key areas of concern for the upcoming year and beyond. Topics included:

• North Korea’s nuclear capabilities
• Russia’s relationships with NATO, Syria and Turkey
• The Iran nuclear deal
• Chinese national interests
• The South China Sea
• Cyber threats

Listen in for informed analysis on China, North Korea, Russia and more.

Biographies

Dr. Dov Zakheim, host of the episode, is a senior fellow at CNA. Previously, he served as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Dr. Michael Connell is a Middle East specialist and the director of CNA’s Adversary Analytics Program.

Dr. David Finkelstein is the vice president and director of CNA's China Studies division and an expert on Chinese and Asian affairs.

Ken Gause is the director of CNA's International Affairs Group. He is CNA's senior foreign leadership analyst and has spent the last 20 years developing methodologies for examining leadership dynamics of hard target regimes.

Michael Kofman, a CNA analyst, has extensive experience analyzing Russia’s military and foreign policy and is an expert on security issues in the former Soviet Union.

Alexander Alden, a CNA analyst, is an expert in strategic planning, defense policy, deterrence and assurance, military modernization, arms transfers, security cooperation, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Related Materials

• CNA’s Strategic Studies division
• CNA’s China Studies division
• CNA report, Becoming a Great "Maritime Power": A Chinese Dream
• CNA report, Iranian Operational Decision Making: Case Studies from the Iran-Iraq War
• CNA report, Mobilizing Compatriots: Russia's Strategy, Tactics, and Influence in the Former Soviet Union
• CNA report, North Korea’s Provocation and Escalation Calculus: Dealing with the Kim Jong-un Regime
• "New Russian Navy: Part 1 - Toward Smaller Ships and Professional Sailors" by Michael Kofman and Norman Polmar in Proceedings Magazine, also available on Michael Kofman’s blog, Russian Military Analysis