PEOPLE
Staff at the Institute for the Study of War
Kimberly Kagan, the President of ISW, is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale University, Georgetown University, and American University. She is the author of The Eye of Command (University of Michigan Press, 2006), The Surge: a Military History (Encounter Books, 2009) and editor of The Imperial Moment (forthcoming from Harvard University Press, 2009). Dr. Kagan has published numerous essays including “Don't Short-Circuit the Surge” in the Wall Street Journal, “How to Surge the Taliban” (co-authored with Max Boot and Frederick W. Kagan) in The New York Times, and “The Patton of Counter-Insurgency” in the Weekly Standard. She writes a monthly column about national security for the The Washington Examiner.
Dr. Kagan has conducted six battlefield circulations of Iraq since May 2007 for the MNF-I Commanding General, and one of Afghanistan for CENTCOM. She has participated formally on the Joint Campaign Plan Assessment Team for Multi-National Force-Iraq - U.S. Mission-Iraq in October 2008, and as part of the Civilian Advisory Team for the CENTCOM strategic review in January 2009.
Dr. Kagan held an Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Military History at Yale International Security Studies in 2004-2005. She is an affiliate of Harvard’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, where she was a National Security Fellow in 2002-2003. She received her B.A. in Classical Civilization and her Ph.D. in History from Yale University.
James Danly, the Managing Director of ISW, is a former US Army officer who served two years in Iraq at both tactical and strategic level commands. He holds a BA from Yale where he studied English and Classics.
Megan Ortagus, the Communications Director of ISW, e leads ISW's outreach to Congress and the media. Ms. Ortagus recently embedded with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and visited Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad and Kunar Province along the Pakistani border. Prior to joining ISW, Ms. Ortagus was the Director of Policy Coalitions for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. She traveled to Baghdad, Iraq as an embedded journalist with the Army 1-4 Calvary and 2-4 Infantry at Forward Operating Base Falcon. Ms. Ortagus is also an analyst for London’s GMTV and a commentator for FOX News, MSNBC, al Hurra and al Jazeera English.
In addition to project management and media relations, she has extensive experience in electoral campaigns and the legislative process. Her political career includes fundraisers, events and campaigns for Presidential, Congressional (both House and Senate), and state wide races.
Ms. Ortagus is a master’s candidate at Johns Hopkins University. She graduated from Southeastern University with a degree in Opera and now resides in Washington, D.C.
David Phillips, the Staff Assistant of ISW, holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University where he concentrated in Conflict and Security Studies and minored in World Religions.
Researchers at the Institute for the Study of War
LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.), a Senior Fellow of ISW, assumed command of Multi National Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I) on June 10, 2007. During this final command, he oversaw the generation and training of the Iraqi Security Forces. Previously, he was the Commanding General of I Corps at Ft. Lewis and the Deputy Commanding General for Transformation, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He also served as the Commanding General of the 25th Infantry Division. Dubik has held numerous leadership and command positions with airborne, ranger, light and mechanized infantry units around the world. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry from Gannon University as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1971, and he retired from service on September 1, 2008.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Philosophy from Gannon University, a Master’s of Arts degree in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences Degree from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, five awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous Army Commendation and Achievement Medals. He is ranger, airborne and air assault qualified and holds the expert infantryman’s badge, master parachutist badge as well as the Army Staff Identification Badge.
Marisa M. Cochrane, the Research Manager of ISW, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from Boston College, where she held a Presidential Scholarship and won the prestigious McCarthy Award for her scholarship in the Social Sciences. She has also studied at the London School of Economics.
Jeffrey Dressler, a Research Analyst at ISW, received his Bachelor's Degree from the Political Science Honors Program at The University of Connecticut. In addition to Political Science with a focus in International Relations, Jeffrey pursued his interests in English, obtaining a minor before graduating in the spring of 2008. Since graduation, Jeffrey has interned at The Heritage Foundation in the foreign policy department and is a contributor to the Defense Intelligence Journal, formerly the National Intelligence Journal.
Haseeb Humayoon, a Research Analyst at ISW, has worked as a consultant with non-governmental groups inside Afghanistan and as a research assistant at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. He has authored and coauthored opinion and analytic pieces in publications such as the New York Times and the United States Institute of Peace book “The Future of Afghanistan.” Haseeb has also appeared as a commentator on issues related to Afghanistan and Pakistan on Aljazeera English television and the National Public Radio.
A native of Kabul, Afghanistan, Haseeb holds a BA in political science from Middlebury College and has also studied at the American University in Washington, D.C. He is fluent in Dari/Farsi and Pashto and proficient in Urdu.
Carl Forsberg, a Research Analyst at ISW, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Yale University. He has interned with the Marine Corps Intelligence Headquarters and worked in Kampala, Uganda for the Ugandan State Minister for Disaster Relief and Refugees.
Undergraduate Researchers
Brett Van Ess is currently completing a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and Military Studies from Hawaii Pacific University. He has studied at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and will enter the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in the fall. Brett was previously a United States Marine.
Tommy Meyerson is a junior at Yale University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in History and International Studies.He is active in Yale's Marine Corps student organization and has interned previously in the U.S. Senate.
Patricia Puttmann is a junior at The George Washington University where she is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict & Security Studies and a minor in History. She spent six years abroad at the NATO Military Headquarters, S.H.A.P.E. in Mons, Belgium; as a military dependent, Patricia has additionally lived in Germany and Australia.
Metty Fisseha, the Communications Intern at ISW, is a third year student at Duke University where she is pre med pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and a certificate in Global Health. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and has since lived in Europe and Washington, D.C. She most recently traveled to Turkey where she engaged in interfaith dialogue and conducted research on religion in the political atmosphere. She is fluent in English, Amharic and Spanish and is learning French.
Other Recent Contributors
Michael Moore, a former ISW Research Assistant, holds a Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in Social Studies with a Foreign Language Citation in Modern Standard Arabic from Harvard University. Michael has also studied at the Arabic Language Institute in Fes, Morocco, and has travelled extensively through Europe and the Mediterranean.
Jeremy Domergue, a former ISW Research Analyst from 2008-2009, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government with a minor in Arabic from Georgetown University. He is also a veteran of the United States Air Force, speaks fluent French, strong Arabic, and has studied three years of Persian at the university level.
Scott Weiner, a former ISW Research Assistant from 2008-2009, holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations with a regional concentration in the Middle East from Tufts University. He also completed a minor in Modern Standard Arabic. Scott has studied at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva, Israel, where he completed a special track in Peace Studies and Regional Security. In addition to abilities in Arabic and French, Scott is proficient in Hebrew.
Jared Young, the former ISW Communications Director from 2008-2009, holds a Master's Degree in International Affairs from the University of Oklahoma. He is now employed on Capitol Hill.
Claire Russo, a former ISW Research Analyst from 2008-2009, holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Politics from Tulane University. Claire is now employed with a Human Terrain Team (HTT).
Kaitlin Oujo attends The George Washington University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Middle Eastern Studies and minoring in Arabic. She has also interned for the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq and is now a Yitzhak Rabin Fellow at the Embassy of Israel.
Adam Willner is a senior at Georgetown University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy with minors in Arab Studies and Theology. He has also studied at Oxford University.
Wesley Morgan is a junior at Princeton University, where he is a cadet in Army R.O.T.C. He was embedded in Iraq in August 2007, reporting for the Daily Princetonian, and traveled with units in Baghdad and its belts.
Farook Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a Master’s degree in International Security Studies from Georgetown University. Following his graduation from Princeton University, he lived and worked in South Korea as a Princeton-in-Asia fellow.
James Tyson is a sophomore at Columbia University, where he plans to concentrate in Political Science and Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures, with a special interest in diplomacy.
Jonathan Bronitsky, Cambridge University, Master’s Student
Patrick Gaughen holds Master’s Degrees in Security Studies and Political Science from Georgetown and Duke Universities, respectively. Following his undergraduate work at Yale, he worked for the Department of Defense.
Leah Gould is a senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, where she is also a cadet in Navy R.O.T.C. She was stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan while it deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Valiant Shield during her summer training cruise in 2006.
Adrian Myers, University of Toronto, Law School Student
Nathaniel Rabkin is a graduate of Cornell University. He studies the Middle East, reads Arabic and Farsi, and has worked as an intern at the American Enterprise Institute.
Cassiah Rasmussen holds a Master's Degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University.
Andrea So holds a Master's Degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University.
Ed Stein holds a B.A. in History from Yale University. He was a student in Yale’s Studies in Grand Strategy program. He has conducted archival research on twentieth-century British foreign policy in Cambridge and London.
William Waddell, The Ohio State University, Doctoral Candidate, Military History