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Center for a New American Security

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The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is a think tank in Washington, D.C. specializing in United States national security issues, including terrorism, irregular warfare, the future of the U.S. military, the emergence of Asia as a global power center, war games pitting the U.S. against the People's Republic of China,[2] and the national security implications of natural resource consumption, among others.[3]

Center for a New American Security
AbbreviationCNAS
Formation2007; 17 years ago (2007)
TypePublic policy think tank
20-8084828
Headquarters1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 700
Location
  • Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°54′18″N 77°02′06″W / 38.90500°N 77.03500°W / 38.90500; -77.03500
CEO
Richard Fontaine
Budget
Revenue: $8,789,410
Expenses: $7,228,402
(FYE September 2015)[1]
WebsiteCNAS.org
GEN David Petraeus at CNAS's annual conference, June 2009

CNAS has strong ties to the Democratic Party. It was founded in 2007 by Michèle Flournoy, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy under President Bill Clinton and under secretary of defense for policy under President Barack Obama,[4] and Kurt M. Campbell, who previously served as coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs under President Joe Biden, and is now the deputy secretary of state.[5] The Obama administration hired several CNAS employees for key positions.[6] In June 2009, The Washington Post reported, "In the era of Obama . . . the Center for a New American Security may emerge as Washington's go-to think tank on military affairs."[6] CNAS was formerly led by CEO Victoria Nuland, who served as undersecretary of state for political affairs from 2021 to 2024 in the Biden administration's State Department.[7]

CNAS has received funding from large corporations, including defense contractors. Donors have included Northrop Grumman, Chevron, Amazon, and Google,[8] This has prompted criticism of CNAS from left-wing media outlets, with In These Times saying in October 2019 that the organization has "long pushed Democrats to embrace war and militarism."[9]

Employees, budget, and writings

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CNAS has approximately thirty employees and a budget under $6 million.[10] It has many fellows and advisors.[11] CNAS members include, among others, John Nagl,[12] Thomas E. Ricks and Robert D. Kaplan.[11] The organization's top donors include Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Open Society Foundations, Airbus Group, The Boeing Company, Chevron Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Company, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, the United States government, BAE Systems, BP America and Exxon Mobil Corporation.[13]

CNAS commentators have been quoted in national media outlets such as Foreign Policy,[14] The New York Times,[15] The Washington Post,[16] The Wall Street Journal,[17] The National Interest,[18] C-SPAN,[19] NBC,[20] Fox News,[21] NPR[22].

Research and initiatives

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Hillary Clinton speaks at CNAS's rollout event, June 2007

The CNAS U.S.-India Initiative is co-chaired by CNAS Board of Directors members Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state, and Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, former under secretary of state for political Aafairs. The stated goal of the Initiative is to help advance growing bilateral ties in areas of mutual interest, including security, economics, energy, climate change, democracy, and human rights.[23] On October 27, 2010, at the White House Press Gaggle on the President's Upcoming Trip to India, the CNAS report Natural Allies: A Blueprint for the Future of U.S.-India Relations was referenced in a reporter's question to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.[24]

 
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey speaking at CNAS, November 2014

In 2010, the center developed its cyber security project was co-chaired by Bob Kahn, John Michael McConnell, Joseph Nye and Peter Schwartz.[25] In February 2011, CNAS argued in The Hill that "increased federal attention to cybersecurity makes good sense," but "lawmakers must ensure that the U.S. government does not spend aimlessly on cybersecurity."[26]

CNAS has suggested that one way to contain future military costs would be to move heavy army units into the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. Still, military officials have responded that the governors would rather have light units that are better suited to their emergency needs.[27]

The CNAS has been actively involved in examining the implications of advanced technologies on future military conflicts, such as a potential conflict between Taiwan and China. In 2024, CNAS ran a war-gaming experiment, suggesting that underwater drones and increased autonomy in drone operations could play a critical role in shaping the dynamics of such a conflict.[28] It also recommended the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to collaborate more, notably on joint exercises, interoperability, intelligence sharing, logistics, defense technology development and arms sales.[29] In 2024, CNAS reported some weaknesses of the US Space Force.[30]

Papers for the Next President Series

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In May 2016, CNAS launched its Papers for the Next President series which it said would assist the next president and his team in crafting a strong, pragmatic, and principled national security agenda. The series explores the critical regions and topics that the next president will need to address early in his tenure and includes actionable recommendations designed to be implemented during the first few months of 2017. Since its inception, CNAS has released 12 reports[31] on topics including U.S.-Russia Relations,[32] transatlantic security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific,[33] and U.S. strategy in the Middle East.[34]

Funding and controversy

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Shortly after CNAS formed, it was noted by the Wall Street Journal and others that it was "rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration."[10] When co-founder, Kurt Campbell, was questioned by Jim Webb before Congress about the potential for conflict, he replied, "We've kept a very clear line. Not one of our publications, not one of our public advocacies ever touches on anything that these companies worked on."[35] However, according to a report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research's Revolving Door Project, the Center has repeatedly violated its own ethics policy without acknowledgement of the violations.[36] For example, CNAS received $100,000 to $249,999 in funding from Taiwan in the fiscal years preceding a 2020 report to Washington on "Rising to the China Challenge," where they advised America should invest "considerable amounts of money, senior-level attention, and bureaucratic focus" to, among other things, "strengthen its diplomatic and security relationship with Taiwan".[37][38] CNAS also received $250,000 from the United Arab Emirates embassy in 2016 to produce a private study on the Missile Technology Control Regime, which was later used to inform a public paper analyzing U.S. drone export policies.[39]

CNAS has a board of advisors in addition to its board of directors that "actively contributes to the development of the Center's research and expands [their] community of interest," with members who "engage regularly with the intellectual power generated at CNAS, though they do not have official governance or fiduciary oversight responsibilities."[40] Many advisory board members have donated to CNAS in prior years.[36][41]

In addition, many involved in CNAS go on to become government employees. For example Victoria Nuland, who was the former CEO of CNAS, is President Biden's current undersecretary of state for political affairs.[42] In one article she published after leaving the CNAS, she called for increased defense spending and weapons development, as well as to "establish permanent bases along NATO's eastern border."[43] The governments of two nations on NATO's eastern border, Latvia and Lithuania, are recent contributors to CNAS.[44]

References

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  1. ^ "Center for a New American Security" (PDF). Amazon Web Services. 30 September 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. ^ "In CNAS-Led Taiwan Wargame, No Air Superiority, No Quick Win". Air Force Magazine. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  3. ^ "About CNAS". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  4. ^ Guyer, Jonathan (2020-11-25). "Three Questions Facing the Likely Next Secretary of Defense". The American Prospect. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  5. ^ "A Conversation With Kurt Campbell, White House Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific". Asia Society. July 6, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-08-21. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  6. ^ a b "Carlos Lozada -- Setting Priorities for the Afghan War". The Washington Post. June 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  7. ^ "On the Retirement of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland". United States Department of State. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  8. ^ Heinz, Brett (2021-02-22). "American primacy on the menu for big industry donors at CNAS". Responsible Statecraft. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  9. ^ "Meet the Hawkish Liberal Think Tank Powering the Kamala Harris Campaign". In These Times. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  10. ^ a b Dreazen, Yochi J. (November 17, 2008). "Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent". The Wall Street Journal.
  11. ^ a b "People". CNAS. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  12. ^ Ricks, Thomas E. (January 16, 2008). "High-Profile Officer Nagl to Leave Army, Join Think Tank". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  13. ^ "CNAS Supporters". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  14. ^ Lord, Jonathan; Baigal, Arona (2024-09-05). "America Is Pushing Its Security Ideas on a Lukewarm Middle East". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  15. ^ "Room for Debate: A Logical, but Difficult, Step". The New York Times. March 22, 2011. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  16. ^ Kaplan, Robert D. (February 27, 2011). "Arab democracy and the return of the Mediterranean world". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Robert D. (March 26, 2011). "The Middle East Crisis Has Just Begun". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  18. ^ "America Primed". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  19. ^ "Blaise Misztal and Jonathan Lord on U.S. Ceasefire Push in Israel-Hamas War". C-SPAN. March 24, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  20. ^ "Meet the Press transcript for March 27, 2011". NBC News. 2011-03-27. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  21. ^ "President of CNAS Richard Fontaine". Fox News. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  22. ^ Gjelten, Tom (March 24, 2011). "In Libyan Conflict, Is Endgame A Stalemate?". NPR.
  23. ^ Center for a New American Security India Initiative Archived 2011-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Press Gaggle on the President's Upcoming Trip to India Archived 2021-03-13 at the Wayback Machine, 27 October 2010.
  25. ^ Center for a New American Security Cyber Security Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Cyber sanity". The Hill. February 25, 2011.
  27. ^ Clark, Colin. "Romney Pledges Defense Boost; Analyst Predicts $1 Trillion in DoD Cuts." Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine AOL Defense, 7 October 2011.
  28. ^ O'Donnell, James (June 20, 2024). "How underwater drones could shape a potential Taiwan-China conflict". MIT Technology Review.
  29. ^ Luckenbaugh, Josh (August 2, 2022). "JUST IN: Report Urges Quad to Increase Indo-Pacific Defense Efforts". National Defense Magazine.
  30. ^ Zisk, Rachael (May 17, 2024). "The Space Force has some growing up to do, says one analyst". Fast Company.
  31. ^ "Preparing the President". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  32. ^ "The Future of U.S.-Russia Relations". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  33. ^ "Transatlantic Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  34. ^ "Reset, Negotiate, Institutionalize: A Phased Middle East Strategy for the Next President". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  35. ^ "Archived Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - The Nomination of Kurt Campbell to be Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs". Archived from the original on 8 February 2022.
  36. ^ a b "The Military-Industrial-Think Tank Complex Conflicts of Interest at the Center for a New American Security" (PDF). February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  37. ^ "Rising to the China Challenge Renewing American Competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific". CNAS. January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  38. ^ Clifton, Eli (17 June 2020). "Taiwan Funding of Think Tanks: Omnipresent and Rarely Disclosed". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  39. ^ Emmons, Zaid Jilani, Alex (2017-07-30). "Hacked Emails Show UAE Building Close Relationship With D.C. Think Tanks That Push Its Agenda". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "Archived list of advisory board members". Archived from the original on 9 April 2018.
  41. ^ "CNAS Corporate Partnership Program". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  42. ^ Korman, Shai (January 21, 2021). "CNAS Experts and Alumni Selected for Senior Leadership Positions in the Biden Administration". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  43. ^ Nuland, Victoria (2020-06-09). "Pinning Down Putin". Foreign Affairs. Vol. 99, no. 4. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  44. ^ "CNAS Supporters". CNAS. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
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