Who We Are

Our Mission

The Institute for the Study of War advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education. We are committed to improving the nation’s ability to execute military operations and respond to emerging threats in order to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization.

We believe ground realities must drive the formulation of strategy and policy. In pursuit of this principle, ISW conducts detailed, open-source intelligence analysis to provide the most accurate information on current conflicts and security threats. ISW researchers spend time in conflict zones conducting independent assessments and enhancing their understanding of realities on the ground. Through reports and timely events, our research educates military and civilian leaders, reporters, and the public to enhance the quality of policy debates.


Our Board Members

General Jack Keane (US Army, Retired), Chairman, Institute for the Study of War; President, GSI, LLC

Dr. Kimberly Kagan, Founder & President, Institute for the Study of War

The Honorable Kelly Craft, Former US Ambassador to UN and Canada

Dr. William Kristol, Director, Defending Democracy Together

Kevin Mandia, Chief Executive Officer & Board Director, Mandiant

Jack D. McCarthy, Jr., Senior Managing Director & Founder, A&M Capital

Bruce Mosler, Chairman, Global Brokerage, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.

General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Retired), Partner, KKR and Chairman, KKR Global Institute

Dr. Warren Phillips, Lead Director, CACI International

Colonel William Roberti (US Army, Retired), Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal

Hudson La Force, former Chief Executive Officer of W. R. Grace & Co

Dr. Jennifer London, Consultant, CACI

ISW Statement on the Passing of ISW Board Member Joseph I. Lieberman - March 28, 2024

ISW is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Senator Joe Lieberman, a distinguished member of ISW’s board of directors since 2014, one of the first members of Congress to receive an ISW briefing in 2007, and above all, a dear friend. Senator Lieberman was a moral force in American politics whose four-decade career in public service was marked by his thoughtfulness, his principled leadership, and his extraordinary determination to protect America’s interests and values.  In 2012, ISW presented its second annual ISW Award for National Security Leadership to Senator Lieberman in recognition of his exceptional service, intellect, and leadership in national security.  The same strategic and moral clarity that defined Senator Lieberman’s career as a legislator informed the essential guidance he provided ISW in support of our mission in the decade since he joined our board. He will be extraordinarily missed.

Dr. Kimberly Kagan founded ISW in May 2007, as U.S. forces undertook a daring new counterinsurgency strategy to reverse the grim security situation on the ground in Iraq . Frustrated with the prevailing lack of accurate information documenting developments on the ground in Iraq and the detrimental effect of biased reporting on policymakers, Dr. Kagan established ISW to provide real-time, independent, and open-source analysis of ongoing military operations and insurgent attacks in Iraq. General Jack Keane (U.S. Army, Ret.), the Chairman of ISW’s board, also played a central role in developing the intellectual foundation for this change of strategy in Iraq, and supported the formation of the Institute in 2007.

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Dr. Kagan published her first Iraq Report in March 2007, introducing the Washington policy community to ISW’s flagship research product. Since its formation in 2007, the ISW Iraq Project has remained the premier source for unbiased analysis on the changing political and security dynamics affecting progress in Iraq.

Building upon the success of the Iraq Project, ISW launched the Afghanistan Project in April 2009 in response to growing demand to better understand the war in Afghanistan. Research from this project has focused on insurgent groups such as the Haqqani Network, political corruption, and coalition operations. In addition, ISW has used its unique access to military commanders to launch a Best Practices in Counterinsurgency series that aims to capture the most important lessons from today’s wars in order to speed the way in which these lessons are applied the formulation of new military strategy.

ISW has built a reputation for its accuracy and ability to translate complex military concepts and specialized information into formats accessible to a more general audience. In 2010 alone, ISW analysts and fellows spent more than forty weeks deployed to theater. ISW analysts deployed again in 2011, and Dr. Kagan spent over 200 days in 2010 and 2011 in Kabul . In July 2011, she was awarded the Department of Defense Civilian Service Award for her efforts.

In November 2011, ISW added to its Afghanistan and Iraq projects with the broader Middle East Security Project. This new research program will study the national security threats emerging from the Arabian Gulf and wider Arab World, identify ways the United States and Gulf States can check Iran’s growing influence and contain the threat posed by its nuclear ambitions, explain the shifting balance of power within the Middle East, and assess responses the United States and Arab states take to address these changes as they emerge. Leading up to this project launch, ISW began tracking the conflict in Libya in March 2011, publishing daily and weekly Libya updates and an in-depth look at the first six months of that conflict called the Libyan Revolution.

Overview

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization. ISW advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education.

We are committed to improving the nation’s ability to execute military operations and respond to emerging threats in order to achieve U.S. strategic objectives.

ISW was founded on the principle that a healthy democracy requires civilian leaders who are well versed in military affairs. The abandonment of military studies at America's colleges and universities since the Vietnam War poses a serious challenge to civilian control of the military and to the well-being of our nation. Therefore, ISW seeks to strengthen civilian leadership and the electorate by making the important study of military operations available to the public.

We also believe that the formulation of strategy and policy must be driven by the realities of current conflicts and threats.  In pursuit of this principle, ISW conducts detailed open source intelligence analysis to provide the most accurate information on current military operations.  Our research educates practitioners, policy makers, members of the media, and the public to enhance the quality of policy debates.  ISW conducts regular briefings with Members of Congress and the executive branch and hosts timely events for a wide-ranging and influential audience to facilitate the exchange of ideas.  Military and civilian leaders have come to rely on ISW as an unbiased and invaluable resource.

 

Research Policy

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a 501(c)(3) organization and produces strictly non-partisan, non-ideological, fact- based research. ISW seeks to promote an informed understanding of war and military affairs through comprehensive, independent, and accessible open-source research and analysis. ISW does not advocate the adoption of legislation to implement its findings.

ISW’s research is made available to the general public, practitioners, policy makers, and members of the media by any suitable means, including oral or written presentations, provided that the communications are not limited to or directed toward those interested in only one side of a particular issue. ISW respects the benefits provided by the active participation of civilian leaders in the formation and development of military affairs policy, including congressional oversight, and believes that an enhanced understanding of military affairs among civilian leaders results in significantly better policy.

"Nonpartisan analysis and research" is defined as an independent exposition of a particular subject matter. The analysis may conclude that legislation is appropriate to achieve a particular objective if it contains a sufficiently full and fair exposition of the pertinent facts to enable the public or an individual to form an independent opinion or conclusion. ISW’s research agenda is determined by the ISW President in consultation with the Research Manager. The content of ISW’s publications are determined by the research staff through their in-depth, independent, and fact-based research.

ISW’s research methodology relies on both primary and secondary sources, enabling its researchers to develop the comprehensive understanding of the situation on the ground. In order to analyze military and political developments in any given area, researchers must wholly understand the systems of enemy and friendly forces. They must also understand the population demographics, physical terrain, politics, and history of that area. This lays the analytical foundation for understanding the reasons for particular developments and fulfilling their assigned research objectives. Using both primary and secondary sources, our researchers compile data and analyze trends, producing a granular analysis of developments in areas of research, producing an accurate, high-resolution, timely, and thorough picture of the situation. ISW’s research methodology guarantees its success and commitment to improve the nation’s ability to execute military operations, achieve strategic objectives, and respond to emerging problems that may require the use of American military power.

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Leadership

General Jack Keane
Dr. Kimberly Kagan
Jennifer Cafarella
Brian Babcock-Lumish
Alexander Mitchell
Lisa Suchy
Sydney Fuqua
Evan Moore
Madeline Shaffer
Allie Jansen
Siobhan Gavagan

Fellows

Mason Clark
Lt. Gen. James Dubik (US Army, Retired)
Nataliya Bugayova
Elsa Kania
Stephen Gordon

Analysts & Associates

George Barros
Kateryna Stepanenko
Karolina Hird
Grace Mappes
Angelica Evans
Christina Harward
Davit Gasparyan
Nicole Wolkov
Noel Mikkelsen
Daniel Mealie
Mitch Belcher
Matthew Sperzel
Daniel Shats
Tom Thacker
Alison O'Neil
Cameron Hayes
Karina Wugang
Johanna Moore
Andie Parry
Kelly Campa
Siddhant Kishore
Carolyn Moorman

Staff Members

William J. Wade
Christopher Solomon
Kendrick Frankel
Adam Grace
Caroline Nicholson
Sydney Baum
Cassidy Eissing