CNAS Launches New National Security Human Capital Program to Safeguard America’s Warfighting Edge

Washington, April 16, 2025 – Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is launching its new National Security Human Capital (NSHC) Program, a major research program focused on strengthening the United States’ most critical defense asset: its people.

America’s national security edge depends on the talent and dedication of its warfighters and the professional civilians who support them. Military personnel, political appointees, and civil servants meet the demands of the National Security Strategy by providing the nation with the capability to deter and (should deterrence fail) defeat adversaries of the United States. This new program examines how best to recruit, develop, retain, and leverage the talents of uniformed military personnel, national security political appointees, and civil servants to achieve strategic and operational success.

The new program is led by Katherine L. Kuzminski, who has directed the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program since 2021, and serves as the Center’s Director of Studies.

The NSHC Program addresses critical defense workforce challenges through two core focus areas:

• Military Personnel – As America’s warfighting edge, uniformed servicemembers must possess the skills, knowledge, physical capabilities, and cognitive resilience needed across all domains of warfare. The NSHC Program produces data-driven research and actionable policy recommendations to drive the military services’ access to talent and further examines issues impacting military personnel throughout the warrior lifecycle, including recruitment, retention, training, evaluation, selection, promotion, talent management, and the transition out of uniformed service to veteran status.
• National Security Civilians – Just as the nation requires access to uniformed talent to defend the United States, it also requires an equally capable cadre of civilian professionals with the expertise and experience necessary to develop and execute a sound national security strategy. Political appointees provide strategic direction, policy oversight, and leadership, translating an administration’s policies into actionable guidance. Civil servants provide nonpartisan technical expertise, institutional knowledge, operational support, and program management, ensuring the effectiveness of U.S. national security policy as set by political appointees. The NSHC Program produces comprehensive research and policy recommendations regarding the roles, requirements, effectiveness, challenges, and opportunities within the federal civilian national security workforce. Moreover, the U.S. national security enterprise is strengthened by the defense industrial base (DIB), which currently faces workforce challenges including talent shortages in high-skill career fields, an aging workforce, and a competition for talent across other sectors.

As part of its launch, the NSHC Program will convene the top minds across the defense, policy, academic, and private sectors; host high-impact public and private events; and provide a platform for advancing innovative, forward-thinking solutions to human capital challenges in national security.

For more information about the new program or for media inquiries, please contact Alexa Whaley at [email protected].