Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS, and previously served as Director of Intelligence Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. During a career that spans five decades he has completed a wide variety of studies on issues including energy, U.S. strategy and defense plans, the lessons of modern war, and NATO modernization.
Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS.
Before joining CSIS, Dr. Cordesman served as Director of Intelligence Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as Civilian Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. In addition, he served as Director of Policy and Planning for Resource Applications in the Energy Department and as National Security Assistant to Senator John McCain. He has had numerous foreign assignments, including posts in the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iran, as well as with NATO in Brussels and Paris. He has worked extensively in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
He is a recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal.
Dr. Cordesman has completed a wide variety of studies on energy, U.S. strategy and defense plans, the lessons of modern war, defense programming and budgeting, NATO modernization, Chinese military power, proliferation, counterterrorism, armed nation building, security in the Middle East, and the Afghan and Iraq conflicts.
His most recent books include Iran in Transition and Iraq and the War of Sanctions.
He earned his B.A. from the University of Chicago, his M.A. from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and his Ph.D. from the University of London.
Articles
China and the New Strategic Nuclear Arms Race
This report, informed by extensive open-source research, examines changes in Chinese capabilities over the past several years, as well as more recent changes to US...
“Iran: Military Spending, Modernization, and the Shifting Military Balance in the Gulf”
Originally published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read full report here. This 185 page report examines the history of the Gulf arms race, looking...
NATO “Burden Sharing”: The Need for Strategy and Force Plans, Not Meaningless Percentage Goals
This comprehensive study argues that the focus on securing 2% GDP from each NATO member is dividing the alliance, and taking attention away from substantive...