CNAS Welcomes New Adjunct Senior Fellow Celeste Wallander

Washington, January 27, 2025 — The Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is delighted to welcome Celeste Wallander as an adjunct senior fellow.

Most recently, Wallander served in the Biden administration as the 29th assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. In this role, she led U.S. defense policy in support of Ukraine following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, organized U.S. policy on modernizing NATO, and managed U.S. national security policy toward Europe, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa.

“Celeste brings a wealth of insight, experience, and leadership on the most critical issues facing the transatlantic community,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program. “We are thrilled to welcome her onto our team and look forward to partnering with her on the Center’s research agenda.”

The Transatlantic Security Program aims to contribute to a stronger and more cohesive transatlantic partnership through research and analysis on Russia, Ukraine, European politics, and more. They also produce the Brussels Sprouts podcast, providing weekly updates on transatlantic relations and foreign policy.

Wallander is currently a senior advisor with the strategy firm WestExec Advisors. During the Obama administration, she served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia before serving as special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia/Central Asia on the National Security Council. From 2017 to 2022, she was the president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Russia Foundation. Wallander is the author of more than 90 publications on European and Eurasian security issues, focusing especially on NATO, Russia, and Ukraine.

Wallander’s full bio is available here.

For more information or to request an interview, contact Alexa Whaley at [email protected].