Martijn Rasser Named Director of the Technology and National Security Program

Washington, June 28, 2021—The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that Martijn Rasser has been named Director of the Technology and National Security Program. Mr. Rasser will continue to serve as Senior Fellow at CNAS, a position he has held since 2019.

“Martijn has shown tremendous leadership during his time at CNAS and will bring the same focus and passion in leading the Technology and National Security Program,” said Vice President and Director of Studies Paul Scharre. “Technology is having a significant impact on national security and Martijn will help take the program in new directions to remain at the forefront of emerging challenges.”

CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine added, “With impressive expertise in intelligence and emerging technologies, Martijn brings innovative thinking to the role of Director that ensures the Technology and National Security team will continue to inform decision makers at the highest levels”

Prior to joining CNAS, Mr. Rasser served as a senior intelligence officer and analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked on foreign emerging technologies, technology innovation, and weapons research & development. He also served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, special advisor to a senior military commander in the Middle East, chief counterterrorism liaison to a U.S. military unit in Iraq, and vice chairman of a National Intelligence Council (NIC) working group.

Upon leaving government service, Mr. Rasser was Chief of Staff at Muddy Waters Capital, an investment research firm. More recently, Mr. Rasser was Director of Analysis at Kyndi, a venture-backed AI startup in Silicon Valley.

His commentary and research have appeared in leading publications including Foreign Policy, Lawfare, San Francisco Chronicle, and Scientific American, and he is regularly quoted in outlets such as Axios, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Fortune, New York Times, Nikkei Asia, South China Morning Post, Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Wall Street Journal, and WIRED. He has made media appearances on BBC, CNBC, and Fox News, among others. Mr. Rasser received his B.A. in anthropology from Bates College and his M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Rasser, contact Shai Korman at [email protected] or call 202-695-8166.