Arlington, VA

The CNA community is greatly saddened by the loss of Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, who died December 13 at the age of 83. After a distinguished career in the US Navy, Gunn was president of CNA’s Institute for Public Research from 2003 to 2015, establishing it as a significant contributor of analytic support to the government in civil aviation, emergency management, policing, and homeland security.

Gunn came to CNA with deep experience in naval operations, operations research, personnel, training, and cost management. Across a distinguished, 35-year US Navy career, he served as Commander, Amphibious Group Three; Commander, Navy Personnel Command; and Navy Inspector General. After retiring from the Navy in August 2000, he was appointed by the Chief of Naval Operations to lead the Executive Review of Navy Training, which laid the groundwork for a revolution in sailor training.

He first developed an appreciation for CNA analysis earlier in his Navy career. He explained in a 2016 interview, “As a lieutenant commander, I learned from CNA analysts that in spite of my own inflated view of my performance, there were many, many areas I could improve in.” But his connection to CNA became closer after he presented on the work of the Executive Review of Navy Training to the CNA Board of Trustees in 2001.

The CEO of CNA at the time, Robert Murray, hired Gunn and asked him in 2003 to bring structure to a nascent effort to apply CNA’s decades of experience in military operations analysis to the challenges of domestic civilian agencies. As president of the Institute for Public Research, Gunn hired dozens of new analysts to build a permanent home for civilian government analysis at CNA, performing work for the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. “9/11 really set the stage here,” Gunn said. “Twenty-two agencies were merged into DHS, and they could not take a breath. Every moment they had to be more ready. It created a thirst for analysis.”

Gunn also served as vice chair of CNA’s Military Advisory Board, bringing both operational experience and deep understanding of the intersection of climate, energy, and global security. Gunn was dedicated to the advisory board, engaging directly in the work with CNA’s scientists and was a national and international voice on climate security. He spoke to state legislatures, European and Asian leaders, and multiple Washington administrations. Even after his retirement from CNA, Gunn continued to work on climate security through his own firm, the Gunn Group.

“I had the honor to work with Vice Admiral Gunn for more than a decade,” said CNA Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Cherie Rosenblum. “He was a true statesman and a dear friend to all, with a tremendous mind that could penetrate the most polarizing issues. His vision created the Institute for Public Research that has done so much for the safety and security of the homeland.”