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INDOPACOM Affiliates

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Project Directors

Nathan Freier

NATHAN P. FREIER is an Associate Professor of National Security Studies with the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI).
He came to SSI in August 2013 after 5 years with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) where he was a senior fellow in the International Security Program. Mr. Freier joined CSIS in April 2008 after completing a 20-year career in the U.S. Army. His last military assignment was as Director of National Security Affairs at SSI. From August 2008 to July 2012, Mr. Freier also served as a visiting research professor in strategy, policy, and risk assessment at the U.S. Army War College’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) under the provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act. Mr. Freier is a veteran of numerous strategy development and strategic planning efforts at Headquarters, Department of the Army; the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and two senior-level military staffs in Iraq.

Mr. Freier is widely published on a range of national security issues and continues to provide expert advice to the national security and defense communities. His areas of expertise are defense and military strategy and policy development and strategic net and risk assessment. He holds master’s degrees in both international relations and politics and is a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College.

John Schaus

Visiting Research Professor, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College 
John Schaus is a visiting research professor at the U.S. Army War College focused on research of U.S. defense interests in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to his position at the Army War College, he is a fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, a position he has held since 2014. His work at CSIS focused on U.S. security interests in Asia, defense policy and planning, long-term futures, and wargaming. Prior to rejoining CSIS in July 2014, he worked in a variety of positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His responsibilities there included day-to-day management of the U.S.-China military relationship and as regional policy adviser to the assistant secretary for Asia. In his final role at the Pentagon, he oversaw Defense Department participation in, and represented the department at, Asian multilateral defense organizations as well as ensuring actions, budget, messaging, and planning aligned with the policy of rebalancing to the Asia–Pacific.

Before his time at the Pentagon, Mr. Schaus served as executive officer to the president and CEO of CSIS for five years. He received a B.A. from St. John’s University in Minnesota, and an M.P.P. from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. 

Research Affiliates

Professor Robert S. Hume (Colonel, USA, Retired)

Bob Hume is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Distance Education (DDE), US Army War College (USAWC). Since his initial USAWC assignment in 2006, Professor Hume has supervised the Center for Strategic Leadership Wargaming Department and taught both resident and distance students in several School of Strategic Landpower departments. He is currently serving as the Course Director for the Contemporary and Future Security Issues Course in the DDE. Professor Hume remains an active participant in USAWC integrated research projects, working closely with SSI while pursuing interests in strategic leadership, defense management, capability development, wargaming, theater and campaign planning/assessment, and contemporary and future security issues.  

Prior to his initial appointment as a professor of practice in 2014, Professor Hume culminated a 29-year Army career that included multiple aviation command and staff assignments in the United States, Europe, and the Republic of Korea. He also served in senior-level supervisory positions in US European Command, US Southern Command, US Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Department of the Army in the Pentagon, USAWC, and the National Guard Bureau (as a contractor). Professor Hume’s operational deployments included serving during Operation Joint Forge and Joint Guard in support of the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia, and Operation Enduring Freedom where he served as Director of the Afghanistan Assessment Group, NATO International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Afghanistan.  

Professor Hume holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, and master’s degrees for Operations Research and Strategic Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School and US Army War College, respectively.

Albert Lord

Professor Albert Lord is a native of Philadelphia, PA.

William “Trey” Braun, III

Areas of Expertise: Senior leadership and decision making, security strategy and policy analysis, military & society relations, land force employment, U.S. Army organizational behavior, culture, and process analysis.
Professor Braun’s research agenda includes national strategy and policy analysis, land forces employment, senior military leadership, and military-society relations. He last deployed as the Director, CJ-7 (Force Integration, Training, and Education Directorate), Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A). His 30-year Army career included multiple tactical aviation and planner assignments at Division and Corps, and multiple force management assignments on the Army staff, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Professor Braun holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alfred University and master’s degrees from the USAWC (Strategic Studies), School of Advanced Military Science (Military Art & Science), and Webster University (Business).

COL George Shatzer 

Chairman, Strategic Research and Analysis Division (SRAD) & Outreach, Strategic Studies Institute
Colonel Shatzer received his commission as an Engineer Officer from Arizona State University in 1993. He is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne School, Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the Joint Forces Staff College. He transferred to Functional Area 59 (Strategic Plans and Policy) in 2005 and is a 2016 graduate of the United States Naval War College. <Read more.>

Research Alumni

 

COL André Abadie

Colonel André (Dré) Abadie is a student at the U.S. Army War College exploring the intersection of national security strategy/policy and emerging technologies with a specific interest in potential applications for the INDO-PACOM theater of operations. 

Dré is a career Army Signal Officer with over 22 years experience specializing in network service provision and Cybersecurity. His most recent assignments include G3 (COO), 311th Theater Signal Command; G6 (CIO), 1st Cavalry Division; and Senior Watch Officer, USCYBERCOM.  

He holds multiple degrees, including a Doctorate in Information Technology Management, Security, and Assurance from George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Engineering where he conducted doctoral and post-doctoral research in cyber security and emerging radio technologies.  

Mr. Mark Baron 

Mark Baron is a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State, currently assigned as a student in Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.  He has served overseas in a variety of assignments at U.S. embassies and consulates in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Rabat, Morocco; Baghdad, Iraq; Fukuoka, Japan; Ottawa, Canada; and Dakar, Senegal.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 2000, Mark was a civilian intelligence research specialist at JIATF West, where he was assigned to long-term TDYs at the DEA office in Bangkok, Thailand.  After graduating from Cal Poly with a degree in Political Science in 1987, Mark served as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy.     

LTC Paul G. Beeman

Lieutenant Colonel Paul G. Beeman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1989 and he served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as well in Japan, Austria, and South Africa before he earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1998. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and served as Platoon Sergeant with Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, while also attending Illinois State University. He has served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as participating in numerous regional exercises and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the Western Pacific. LtCol Beeman is a graduate of Illinois State University. 

LTC Matthew Bunch

Matthew “Mat” Bunch is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Following graduation from the U.S. Army War College in 2019, he assumed duties as the J3 for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. His most recent prior asssignments include as Strategic Planner in DAMO-ZT on the Army Staff in Washington, D.C.; Battalion Commander of the 189th Infantry Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington State; and as Exercise Branch Chief in the office of the U.S. Army Pacific G-7. Bunch is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the United States Army War College. 

COL Christopher W. Crary 

Colonel Christopher W. Crary, a native of Alabama, received his commission in August 1997. He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters of Science Degree in Engineering Management. His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic and Advance Courses and United States Army Command and General Staff College. Prior to joining the United States Army War College, Colonel Crary served as the Engineer Division Chief and Chief of Engineering Operations, Plans, and Readiness for the J44 Engineer Division; J4 Logistics, Engineering and Security Cooperation Directorate; U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii. 

Following graduation from the USAWC, Colonel Crary will assume command of the Far East District from the Pacific Ocean Division of the United State Army Corps of Engineers where he will be responsible for the planning, engineering, design, and construction management services across the full spectrum of operations from armistice to contingency in support of the Department of Defense and U.S. Forces in the Republic of Korea.  

Ms. Alison Goldsmith

Ms. Alison Goldsmith, Navy Civilian, is a Resident Student in the Army War College Class of 2020. Previously, she was a Program Security Manager for the Navy Engineering Logistics Office (NELO). In this position, she was responsible for all aspects of security for a research and development (R&D) office that has multiple projects across various classification levels, including Special Access Program (SAP), Compartmented Access Program (CAP) and Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). Prior to this, Ms. Goldsmith was a Program Security Officer (PSO), supporting a pre-Milestone A project with a complex security structure. Ms. Goldsmith’s Navy career began in 2010 as an Assistant Program Security Officer (APSO) supporting an Acquisition Category (ACAT) 1D program. She is a graduate of Fordham University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and History. She holds a Master of Science in Global Affairs from New York University. Ms. Goldsmith has received the Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC), Security Asset Protection Professional Certification (SAPPC), Security Program Integration Professional Certification (SPIPC), Special Program Security Certification (SPSC), and Industrial Security Oversight Certification (ISOC) from the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE).

COL Damien E. Mason

Colonel Damien E. Mason received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 1996. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, USMC Amphibious Warfare School, and the Naval War College’s Command and Staff College. Prior to the Army War College he served as the Chief of Future Operations (G35) for USARPAC in Fort Shafter, HI.  He has previously served as a Battalion Commander at Fort Jackson, SC; Deputy Director J7 for the Joint Special Operations Command; Director of the Commander’s Action Group for SOJTF-A / NSOCC-A; Deputy Chief of Operations for JSOC; Troop Commander and Squadron Operations Officer for a Special Mission Unit. 

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (5 OLC), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (5 OLC), the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Air Assault Badge, Airborne Badge, Military Free Fall Badge and the Ranger Tab. COL Mason’s education includes Air Assault; Airborne; Military Free Fall; SERE; Ranger; Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle Commander’s Course; Jumpmaster; the Combined Arms Service Staff School. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. 

LTC Elvino Mendonca, Jr. 

Lieutenant Colonel Elvino Mendonca Jr. hails from Lowell, Massachusetts and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1987. He served as an artilleryman before becoming a Marine Security Guard at the U.S. Embassies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Panama City, Panama. After completing this tour, LtCol Mendonca executed his End of Active Service date and left the Marine Corps.  

LTC Mendonca then attended Clemson University where he attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in July of 1997.  

Designated as an infantry officer, he deployed in support of Operation NOBLE ANVIL (Kosovo) and then again to Okinawa, Japan. He has also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. 

LTC Mendonca’s recent assignments include serving as the Executive Officer for the II MEF Headquarters Group; the Battalion Commander of 2d Battalion, 2d Marines at Camp Lejeune; and, the Homeland Defense Branch Head in the Security Division of Plans, Policies, and Operations at Headquarters Marine Corps. 

LTC Jason Rosenstrauch

Jason Rosenstrauch is an officer in the United States Army with over 20 years of experience. He has served in all battalion level leadership positions from platoon leader to squadron commander, primarily in Cavalry organizations conducting reconnaissance and security operations. He most recently served as an operational planner in Korea for US Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command.  

LTC Jason Rosenstrauch has a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and a Masters Degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  

LTC Dana L. Tucker 

Lieutenant Colonel Dana L. Tucker has served over 27 years in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, currently branched Military Police, with deployments to the Balkans and Iraq, both in joint assignments. He has held a variety of staff (battalion and brigade) and command (company and battalion) positions and is currently in the Carlisle Scholars Program within the Army War College. He holds a Masters of Science and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in organizational behavior and human resources. He has four years of experience as visiting faculty at nationally and internationally recognized universities and 9 years of experience directing personnel evaluations, appraisals and assessment at a Fortune 50 company

CDR Henry Wicks

Commander Henry Wicks is a native of Livingston, Montana. Upon graduating with honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in History, he commissioned into the Navy via the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in April 2004.

After completing nuclear power and submarine officer training in November of 2005, he reported aboard the USS OKLAHOMA CITY (SSN 723), located in Norfolk, VA, where he completed one deployment to CENTCOM and one deployment to SOUTHCOM, serving as Reactor Controls Assistant, Electrical Assistant, and Assistant Engineer.

In January 2009 he was assigned to Expeditionary Combat Readiness Command in San Diego, CA and deployed to Afghanistan as part of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM as an Embedded Training Team Mentor for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, training and advising the Afghan army in and around Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Following his deployment he reported in March 2010 to COMPHIBRON FOUR in Norfolk, VA, qualifying as Battle Watch Captain and serving as the Staff ASW Officer during a CENTCOM deployment that included OPERATION ODYSSEY DAWN.

Completing the Submarine Officer Advanced Course in March 2012, he reported to the USS SCRANTON (SSN 756), located in Norfolk, VA, as the Combat Systems Officer and served from 2012 to 2015, completing a CENTCOM deployment and the first nine months of an Engineering Overhaul in Portsmouth, NH. CDR Wicks reported to Submarine Learning Facility Norfolk in April 2015 and served as both the Engineering and then Tactics Director until his transfer in March 2017. Following completion of the Submarine Executive Officer (XO) Pipeline he reported as XO to USS ALASKA (SSBN 732)(BLUE) in August 2018. As Executive Officer he completed two strategic deterrent patrols, detaching in June of 2019. CDR Wicks reported as a student to the US Army War College in July 2019.

CDR Wicks’ awards include the Bronze Star, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), and other campaign and service awards.