News
Press Releases

CSBA Announces New Advisory Council of National Security and Defense Leaders

Respected Policy Experts to Enrich CSBA’s Research Agenda and Outreach Efforts

Washington, DC – September 10, 2019

The Center Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), the world’s premier center for understanding future international competition and conflict, announced today that it has launched the CSBA Council, an advisory board composed of accomplished individuals whose interests in contemporary security debates coincide with CSBA’s mission. The CSBA Council will further the institute’s efforts to develop innovative, resource-informed defense concepts, promote public debate, and spur policies to advance the interests of the United States and its allies. The Council will meet regularly with senior management, participate in efforts to promote CSBA and its work, and engage with its scholars and analysts to help nurture the next generation of defense thought leaders.

“CSBA seeks to inform debate on national security policy and drive smart changes in concept development, force structure, and investments that prepare the US and its allies for an era characterized by great power rivalry,” said Barbara Humpton, Chair of the CSBA Board of Directors. “Our new Council, with its diverse and accomplished members, will enhance CSBA’s analytical prowess and help Tom Mahnken and his team drive innovative thinking across the national security community.”

The CSBA Council, which will have its inaugural meeting in October 2019, will feature the following individuals as Charter Members:

  • Sid Ashworth, National Defense Industrial Association and former Staff Director, Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate;
  • General Philip Breedlove, USAF (Ret.) Georgia Institute of Technology and former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe;
  • Christian Brose, Anduril Industries and former Staff Director, Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senate;
  • Jonathan Burks, JWB Advisors and former Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Paul D. Ryan;
  • The Honorable Lisa Disbrow, former Undersecretary of the Air Force;
  • Paul Lettow, former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council;
  • Vance Serchuk, Executive Director, KKR Global Institute and former professional staff member, Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, U.S. Senate;
  • Mitchell Shivers, Hughes+Shivers LLC and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense;
  • Roger Zakheim, Washington Director, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute and former Deputy Staff Director, Armed Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.

According to Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken, CSBA’s President and CEO, “At this juncture in America’s strategic journey, it is imperative that senior government decisionmakers, as well as those in the media, academia and the business community have timely, impartial insights into contemporary security challenges. The CSBA Council will help us stay ahead of emerging operational issues, technology developments, and the critical nexus of economics and national security. We are deeply appreciative of their efforts and their commitment to our shared values.”

 

About the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

CSBA is an independent, nonpartisan policy research institute established to promote innovative thinking and debate about national security strategy and investment options. CSBA’s assessments focus on key questions related to existing and emerging threats to U.S. national security, and its goal is to enable policymakers to make informed decisions on matters of strategy, security policy, and resource allocation.

Media Contact: William Bodie, 202-719-1358

www.csbaonline.org