CNAS Names Katherine Kuzminski as Director of Studies

Washington, March 17, 2025—The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that Katherine Kuzminski has been named director of studies, a critical senior leadership role in shaping the Center’s core goal to develop strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies.

Kuzminski previously served as the deputy director of studies and the director of the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program since 2021 and as a fellow and research associate for the MVS Program from 2013 to 2017.

As the director of studies, Kuzminski will be responsible for managing the Center’s research agenda, publications, and research staff, and she will continue her work on national security human capital, where she is frequently sought out as a highly respected expert in public and private settings.

“In eight years of service to CNAS, Kate has proved an innovative researcher and principled leader in increasingly senior roles. Her impressive body of research and thought leadership speaks for itself,” said Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of CNAS, “and her selfless role in supporting colleagues across the Center has been instrumental in making CNAS the organization that it is today.”

Kuzminski returned to CNAS from the RAND Corporation, where she was a political scientist researching military personnel policy. During her time at RAND, she led research teams examining officer personnel management, reserve component utilization, senior officer selection and development, military culture, and ground force capability development.

From 2013 to 2017, Kuzminski served as a research associate, Bacevich fellow, and fellow with the CNAS MVS Program. During this time, she led the Rebuilding the Bipartisan Defense Consensus Project and developed the Veterans Data Project.

Kuzminski has testified before the congressionally mandated National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. Her research and analysis have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, BBC, NBC Nightly News, and CBS Evening News. She is completing a certificate in management excellence at Harvard Business School and earned a BS in military history and an MA in security studies from Kansas State University.

To reach Katherine Kuzminski or for more information on CNAS, please contact Alexa Whaley at [email protected].