Center for a New American Security

About

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, war games pitting the U.S. against the People's Republic of China, and the national security implications of natural resource consumption, among others.

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, and Kurt M. Campbell, who previously served as deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration. The Obama administration hired several CNAS employees for key positions. In June 2009, The Washington Post wrote that in the Obama era, CNAS "may emerge as Washington's go-to think tank on military affairs." 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.