February 03, 2015

Ideas to Action

Suggestions for the 25th Secretary of Defense

By: Michèle Flournoy, Shawn Brimley, Ilan Goldenberg, Elbridge Colby, Nicholas Heras, Alexander Sullivan, Jacob Stokes, Patrick M. Cronin, Paul Scharre, Van Jackson, Jerry Hendrix, Julianne Smith, Phillip Carter and Katherine L. Kuzminski

In advance of Dr. Ashton Carter’s upcoming nomination hearing to be Secretary of Defense, experts from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) have produced a series of commentaries outlining the key issues the 25th Secretary of Defense will face. The commentaries – including one from CNAS CEO Michèle Flournoy – recommend future courses of action for the Department of Defense.

Authors

  • Michèle Flournoy

    Chair, CNAS Board of Directors, Co-founder and Managing Partner, WestExec Advisors

    Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and former Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), w...

  • Shawn Brimley

    Former Executive Vice President and Director of Studies

    Shawn Brimley was the Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he managed the center’s research agenda and staf...

  • Ilan Goldenberg

    Former Senior Fellow and Director, Middle East Security Program

    Ilan Goldenberg is the former Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He is a foreign policy and defense expe...

  • Elbridge Colby

  • Nicholas Heras

    Former Fellow, Middle East Security Program

    Nicholas A. Heras is a former Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), working in the Middle East Security Program. His work focused on the analysis of complex...

  • Alexander Sullivan

    Adjunct Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Program

    Alexander Sullivan is an Adjunct Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Security Program, where he focuses on US-China relations, maritime security, regional military modernization and U....

  • Jacob Stokes

    Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program

    Jacob Stokes is a Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS, where his work focuses on U.S.-China relations, Chinese foreign and military ...

  • Patrick M. Cronin

    Former Senior Advisor and Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Security Program

    Patrick M. Cronin is a former Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Previously, he was the ...

  • Paul Scharre

    Executive Vice President and Director of Studies

    Paul Scharre is the executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He is the award-winning author of Four Battlegrounds: Po...

  • Van Jackson

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security Program

    Dr. Van Jackson is a former Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), an American political scientist, and...

  • Jerry Hendrix

    Former Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Program

    Jerry Hendrix was the Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. A retired Captain in the United States Navy, his staff ...

  • Julianne Smith

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program

    Julianne (“Julie”) Smith is a contributing editor to Foreign Policy, where she coedits “Shadow Government.” She is also a senior advisor at WestExec Advisors, an adjunct senio...

  • Phillip Carter

    Former Senior Fellow and Director, Military, Veterans, and Society Program

    Phillip Carter was the former Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security. His research focused on issu...

  • Katherine L. Kuzminski

    Deputy Director of Studies, Director, Military, Veterans, and Society Program

    Katherine L. Kuzminski (formerly Kidder) is the Deputy Director of Studies, and the Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program at CNAS. Her research special...