CNAS Names Jacob Stokes and Becca Wasser as Senior Fellows

Washington, October 25, 2022—The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) has named Jacob Stokes and Becca Wasser as Senior Fellows.

"Through their impactful research on a range of pressing national security issues, Jake and Becca have distinguished themselves as respected leaders in the field," said Paul Scharre, Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS. "I'm excited for the groundbreaking work they'll continue to do as Senior Fellows."

Jacob Stokes serves as an expert in the Indo-Pacific Security Program. His work focuses on U.S.-China relations, Chinese foreign policy, East Asian security affairs, and great-power competition. During his time at CNAS, Stokes has significantly expanded the Center's body of work on U.S.-China relations. Stokes is the author of the 2021 CNAS report, "Tangled Threads: Integrating U.S. Strategies toward China and North Korea."

Stokes previously served in the White House on the national security staff of then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden, where he was senior advisor to the national security advisor, as well as acting special advisor to the vice president for Asia policy. He has also worked in the U.S. Congress as a professional staff member for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and as foreign and defense policy advisor for Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Outside of government, Stokes has been a senior analyst in the China program at the U.S. Institute of Peace and with the National Security Network.

Becca Wasser serves as an expert in the Defense Program. Wasser's research areas include defense strategy, force design, strategic and operational planning, force posture and employment, and wargaming. Wasser co-established and now leads the CNAS Gaming Lab, which develops and runs innovative unclassified games and exercises on a range of challenging national security issues. Earlier this year, under Wasser's leadership, the Gaming Lab conducted a strategic-operational wargame, "Dangerous Straits: Battle for Taiwan 2027," in partnership with NBC's Meet the Press.

Prior to joining CNAS, Wasser was a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. In this role, she led research projects and designed wargames examining critical national security and defense issues for the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of State, and intelligence community. She also served as a liaison to U.S. Army HQDA G-3/5/7. Previously, she was a research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, based jointly in Washington, D.C., and Manama, Bahrain.

For more information or to request an interview, contact Cameron Edinburgh at [email protected] or 202-457-9425.