Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Think Tankers Abound in 100 Most Influential People in Defense

Defense News recently released its annual 100 Most Influential People in US Defense list, which features numerous think tankers.  Here are some examples:
#1: Thomas Donilon - Before becoming National Security Adviser to President Obama, he was affiliated with the Brookings Institution.
#2: Leon Panetta - Before becoming Defense Secretary, he co-founed The Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
#23: Kurt Campbell - Before becoming Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, he co-founded the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
#25: Susan Rice - Before becoming US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), she was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
#41: Andrew Krepinevich - He is the President of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment (CSBA).
#42: Former Sen. Chuck Hagel - He is the Chairman of the Atlantic Council.
#43: John Hamre - He is the President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
#44: Richard Danzig - He is the Chairman of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
#45: Rudy deLeon - He is the Senior Vice President, National Security and International Policy, Center for American Progress (CAP).
#70: Michele Flournoy - She is the Co-founder of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
#77: Todd Harrison - He is a budget expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment (CSBA).
#78: David Berteau - He is the Director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
#80: Loren Thompson - He is the CEO of the Lexington Institute.
#82: Chris Preble - He is the Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute.
#92: Peter Singer - He is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
#96: Barry Blechman - He is a Co-founder of the Stimson Center.
#97: Larry Korb - He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP).
#98: Mackenzie Eaglen: She is a Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Gen. David Petraeus, who relied heavily on input from think tanks, is #100 on the list.

In related defense/think tank news, are think tanks biased toward the US Army?