2022

SCOTT A. HOWELL

U.S. AIR FORCE

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMAND

Scott A. Howell served as the fifteenth commander of Joint Special Operations Command. General Howell served with the U.S. Air Force for thirty-four years and oversaw military operations across multiple theaters. He previously served as the vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command with a focus on organizing, training, and equipping more than 70,000 U.S. Special Operations personnel operating in more than 85 countries. Howell commanded a squadron, group, joint special operations air component, special operations wing, and special operations joint task force. He is a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned masters degrees from the Air Command & Staff College and the National War College. He is a career helicopter pilot with assignments in rescue and special operations, and has deployed extensively.

P. B. BRISTER

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

TODAY’S DEFENSE POLICY AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

P. B. Brister serves as a director for defense policy on the National Security Council. Brister served in the U.S. Air Force, until 2016, in a number of roles, including as commander of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron and as commander of the 720th operations support squadron. Since then, he has served as a civilian in the U.S. Department of Defense, as a strategic plans advisor and an operations research analyst. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and received his MA and PhD from the Naval Postgraduate School.

STEVE WELBY

IEEE

TRENDS IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES: WHAT IT WILL TAKE

Steve Welby is executive director of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, with more than 400,000 members in over 160 countries. Before IEEE, Welby served as the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering during the Obama administration, developing strategies, policies, and plans for continued technological advancement. Welby has served as a senior leader at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and has more than three decades of professional experience. He received a BA in chemical engineering from the Cooper Union, an MA in business administration from Texas A&M University, and an MA in computer science and applied mathematics from the Johns Hopkins University.

2021

MICHAEL O’HARA

U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE

STRATEGIC RISK: WAR GAMING AND OPERATIONAL INSIGHTS

Michael O’Hara is a military professor, career naval officer, and associate dean for research integration at the U.S. Naval War College. He teaches courses on strategy and war, game theory and decision-making, and artificial intelligence for strategic leaders. His service at sea includes deployments aboard three aircraft carriers flying the S-3B Viking and leading air wing intelligence operations in support of combat in Afghanistan and maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean regions.

DAN MADDEN

SQUADRA VC

NEW INVESTMENTS IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Dan Madden is a principal at Squadra Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Previously Madden served as a regional director in the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), the Department of Defense’s national security technology accelerator; senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation; and as special assistant to an Under Secretary of Defense. Madden’s professional life began as an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps.

JEREMIAH HURLEY

BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IN NATIONAL DEFENSE

Jeremiah Hurley is a corporate fellow at Booz Allen Hamilton. He has served twenty-one years as a U.S. Army officer, most recently as director of innovation and deputy chief technology officer at Joint Special Operations Command. He previously commanded the JSOC Headquarters Battalion and served in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

ROBERT BRADFORD

U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE

STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Robert Bradford serves as professor of defense and joint processes at the U.S. Army War College. Prior to his arrival in Carlisle, Bradford served as chief of strategic planning at U.S. Special Operations Command. His previous assignments include chief of the Afghan Assessment Group for ISAF (Kabul); strategic analyst at Multi-National Force Iraq; Combat Operations Analyst at the TRADOC Analysis Center; and multiple field artillery assignments including battery commander in a self-propelled howitzer battalion.

2020

BRIAN SITTLOW

U.S. NAVY

FUTURE OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS OF THE U.S. SUBMARINE FORCE

Brian L. Sittlow, of the U.S. Navy, commanded Submarine Squadron 4 and USS Boise and has held a variety of other leadership positions throughout his career in the submarine force. Sittlow has conducted several deployments in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans on fast attack and strategic ballistic missile submarines. He received a BA in marine engineering from the Naval Academy and an MA in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College.

JOSEPH HELMAN

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

THE CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Joseph Helman is a member of the Senior National Intelligence Service and has served in Office of the Director of National Intelligence since 2006. Helman has over twenty-five years of national security experience in the Intelligence Community and U.S. Department of Defense. Helman served as Director for Intelligence for the U.S. Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and as the National Intelligence Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Helman received a BA from the University of South Florida and MA and PhD from George Washington University.

2019

ERICA C. NELSON

U.S. ARMY

GUANTANAMO BAY AND CHANGES IN MILITARY POLICE

Erica C. Nelson is a military police officer who has served in law enforcement, criminal investigation, and corrections/detention units of the U.S. Army. Colonel Nelson’s overseas assignments include Germany and deployments to Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iraq, and Kuwait in support of combat and contingency operations. She has commanded at the brigade, battalion, and company levels. Nelson’s previous staff assignments include positions at U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Army Pentagon, and the 42nd Military Police Brigade. She earned an MS in national resource strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University.

KEVIN M. BRAND

U.S. NAVY

CURRENT MARITIME STRATEGIES IN THE INDO-PACIFIC ARE

Kevin M. Brand has sailed and commanded ships throughout Asia and the Middle East for twenty-six years. For the past several years, Captain Brand has worked in national security decision-making and policy development for Asia. Brand received a BA from Texas A&M University and MA degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and National Defense University.

LIAM COLLINS

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT

RUSSIA’S MILITARY ADVENTURISM IN GLOBAL CONFLICTS

Liam Collins, a career special forces officer, has conducted multiple combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as operational deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, the Horn of Africa, and South America. He has graduated from several military programs including Ranger School and has earned two valorous awards for his actions in combat. He is an academy professor and director of the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and previously director of West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center. He received an MA and a PhD from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

CHARLES E. BERGER

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS

TODAY’S HOME-GROWN TERRORISM AS A GLOBAL THREAT

Charles E. Berger is an assistant special agent-in-charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office. A twenty-year Bureau veteran, Mr. Berger specializes in counterterrorism and national security. Prior to the FBI, Berger served as a U.S. Navy Flight Officer for twelve years. Mr. Berger has written extensively on national security, most recently co-author of Guaranteeing America's Security in the Twenty-First Century, a guide to national security for practitioners. He holds degrees from the U.S. Naval Academy, University of Maryland, and U.S. Naval War College.

[Berger has also co-led workshops and seminars in 2018, 2017, and 2014].

2018

LEANNE HOWARD

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

INTERAGENCY NETWORKS OF U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS

LeAnne Howard is a division chief at U.S. Special Operations Command, leading its strategic engagements. In her six years with the Command, Howard has led analytical initiatives in special operations across the U.S. Government's interagency, with a particular focus on joint assessments of counterterrorism activities. Previously, she served as a civilian policy advisor in the 1st Armored Division, as a Defense Congressional Fellow, and in various positions with the U.S. Army throughout Europe.

2017

JENNIFER M. HARRIS

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

GEOECONOMICS, STATECRAFT, AND NEW ENERGY SECURITY ISSUES

Jennifer M. Harris is senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining the Council, Harris was a member of the policy planning staff at the U.S. Department of State, responsible for analysis of global markets, geoeconomic issues, and energy security. Harris previously served on the staff of the U.S. National Intelligence Council, covering a range of economic and financial issues. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Washington Quarterly, and the World Economic Forum, among other outlets. Harris is the author of War By Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft, co-authored with Robert Blackwill. A Truman and a Rhodes Scholar, Harris received a BA in economics and international relations from Wake Forest University and an MPhil from the University of Oxford, and a JD from Yale Law School.

JEROMY B. WILLIAMS

U.S. NAVY

PRIORITIES IN U.S. NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE

Jeromy B. Williams is a U.S. Naval officer with more than two decades of service. He reported to SEAL training in 1993 and graduated in January 1994. From 1994 to 1999, his operational assignments included two tours as assistant platoon commander, joint commissioned observer commander, assistant operations officer, and platoon commander. He served as a SEAL team operations officer from 2000 to 2001. Williams served as troop commander, operations officer, and executive officer from 2001 to 2006. He later served as squadron commanding officer from 2009-2012. He also served as deputy major commander and then as commodore from 2014 to 2017. Williams’ staff assignments include duty at Joint Special Operations Command in 1999-2000, crisis and contingency division chief at Special Operations Command Europe in 2007-2009, and Naval Special Warfare Officer Detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in 2012-2013. He was assigned to United States Special Operations Command from 2013 to 2014. Williams graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with a degree in aerospace engineering, and received an MA in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Williams is currently serving at the Council on Foreign Relations, selected by the Chief of Naval Operations as the 2017-2018 Navy Military Fellow.

2016

ROBERT CONNELL

U.S. ARMY

THE USE OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES IN IRREGULAR OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

Robert Connell is a career U.S. Army Special Forces officer, 7th Special Forces Group. He has served in a wide variety of command and staff positions from platoon through combatant command level and has worked throughout Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Pacific Rim. Connell has graduate degrees from U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies and the U.S. Army War College.

MICHAEL HARRIS

U.S. ARMY

ANALYZING OPERATIONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA

Michael Harris has served in the U.S. Army for twenty years, including assignments in the Middle East, South Asia, South America, Africa, and Korea. He has held a variety of command and interagency positions, including advisor to the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Harris received a BS from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Trident University.

2015

STEVE COLL

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND THE NEW YORKER

COUNTERTERRORISM AFTER CHARLIE HEBDO

Steve Coll is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and teaches journalism at Columbia University. He is a staff writer at The New Yorker and former CEO of the New America think tank. Between 1985 and 2005, he was a reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior editor at the Washington Post. He is the author of The Deal of the Century (1986); The Taking of Getty Oil (1987); Eagle on the Street (1991) with David A. Vise; On the Grand Trunk Road (1993); Ghost Wars (2004); The Bin Ladens (2008); Private Empire (2012); and Directorate S (2018).

RICHARD HAASS

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

FOREIGN POLICY BEGINS AT HOME

Richard Haass is the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, serving since 2003. His past government service includes years in the Department of State (1981-1985 and 2001-2003); Department of Defense (1979-1980); the National Security Council (1989-1993). He is the author of ten books, including Foreign Policy Begins at Home (2014); War of Necessity, War of Choice (2010); and The Reluctant Sheriff (1997). Haass received a BA from Oberlin College and an MA and PhD from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

RONALD A. LABREC

U.S. COAST GUARD

TODAY’S MARITIME LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SEARCH-AND-RESCUE MISSIONS

Ronald LaBrec is the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fellow to the Council on Foreign Relations for 2015-2016. Previously, he served as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Recruiting Command; director of the Coast Guard’s Office of Public Affairs; chief of the Coast Guard Training Center; and commander of the Coast Guard Group Eastern Shore. LaBrec received a BA from the Coast Guard Academy and an MS from Boston University.

SEAN P. LARKIN

U.S. AIR FORCE

INTELLIGENCE PRIORITIES IN AIR AND SPACE

Sean P. Larkin is a U.S. Air Force officer who has served as the commander of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; squadron commander of the 732nd Expeditionary Intelligence Squadron; chief of targets division at U.S. Strategic Command; and director of operations of the 20th Intelligence Squadron. He received a BA from the University of Maryland and MA degrees from Marine Corps University and the U.S. Army War College.

CHRISTOPHER A. MCPHILLIPS

U.S. MARINE CORPS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARINE AIR POWER

Christopher A. McPhillips was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1990. He has deployed to the Persian Gulf as a planner and a pilot. He has served as the offensive cyber operations division chief, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and served as a military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. McPhillips has commanded the Marine Aircraft Group Thirteen in Yuma, AZ, which was comprised of AV-8B Harrier, F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, Unmanned Aerial Systems, logistics and support squadrons that supported global combat operations and deployments. McPhillips is qualified to fly the AV8B, F-5N, and F-35B. He received a BA in aeronautics from San Jose State University and MA degrees from U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College and the U.S. Naval War College.

2014

ERIC T. OLSON

U.S. NAVY

THE WORLD AT NIGHT

Eric T. Olson has completed thirty-eight years of military service, most recently serving as the eighth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. Admiral (ret.) Olson qualified as a Naval Special Warfare officer in 1974 and served operationally in an underwater demolition team, SEAL team, SEAL delivery vehicle team, special boat squadron, and at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star. Olson received a BS from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, and an MA in national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School.

NICOLLE WALLACE

NBC NEWS

CONTEMPORARY NEWS COVERAGE OF DEFENSE AND SECURITY MATTERS

Nicolle Wallace is a policy analyst, author, and former White House Communications Director during the presidency of George W. Bush. She also served as a senior advisor for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and press secretary to Florida Governor Jeb Bush. She is the author of Eighteen Acres (2010) and It’s Classified (2011). Wallace received a BA in mass communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in journalism from Northwestern University.

RICK OZZIE NELSON

CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

INTERAGENCY DYNAMICS IN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY

Rick Ozzie Nelson is a non-resident fellow and former director of the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program. He is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot with over twenty years of operational and intelligence experience, including assignments at the National Security Council and the National Counterterrorism Center. He is operationally trained in naval helicopter strike warfare in the SH-60B Seahawk and SH-2F Seasprite helicopters, and he has deployed around the world and flown in support of numerous operations. Nelson received a BA in political science from George Washington University and an MA in national security studies from Georgetown University.

2013

JAMES G. STAVRIDIS

U.S. NAVY

NATO OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN, LIBYA, AND THE HORN OF AFRICA

James G. Stavridis is commander of U.S. European Command and 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO where he oversees operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. Immediately prior, Admiral Stavridis, commanded U.S. Southern Command. Previously, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense and also commanded a Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. He received a BS from U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MA degrees from the National War College and the U.S. Naval War College, and a PhD from Tufts University.

STANLEY A. MCCHRYSTAL

U.S. ARMY

THE MEANING OF NATIONAL SERVICE

Stanley A. McChrystal is the former commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Forces—Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation’s premier military counterterrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command. In the decade after 9/11, General (ret.) McChrystal spent six years deployed to combat in a variety of leadership positions. He has completed year-long fellowships at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Council on Foreign Relations. McChrystal is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval War College.