WASHINGTON, February 10, 2017: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce that Alice Hunt Friend has joined the CSIS International Security Program (ISP) as a senior fellow.
Ms. Friend was the principal director for African affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2012 to 2014. She was deeply engaged in developing U.S. defense and counterterrorism policy regarding Libya, Mali, Nigeria, and the Horn of Africa. She is currently completing her doctorate in international relations and security at American University, with a focus on civil-military relations.
“Alice is a tremendous addition to the ISP team,” said Dr. Kathleen Hicks, senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program. “She brings substantial depth to our programming on issues ranging from counterterrorism, security cooperation, and African security to American civil-military relations. We are delighted to have Alice on board.”
Prior to helping lead the Africa account, Ms. Friend held a variety of other positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including as special assistant to the under secretary of defense for policy, country director for Pakistan, and senior advisor to the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Smith College. She previously served as a non-resident senior associate to the CSIS International Security Program and as a non-resident adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Her writings have been published by the Center for a New American Security, the Brookings Institution, War on the Rocks, the American Interest, and the National Interest.