Sam Brannen Returns to CSIS to Lead Risk and Foresight Group

September 21, 2018

WASHINGTON, September 21, 2018: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce that Sam Brannen has rejoined CSIS and the International Security Program as a senior fellow and director of the Risk and Foresight Group. This new program provides leaders in government and business with insights into the forces of change reshaping the global environment, from shifting demographics to emerging technologies.

“Sam brings significant think tank, government, and private sector experience that will help our mission of connecting with global leaders in a time of increased political and economic risk,” said Dr. John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO.

The Risk and Foresight Group is charged with focusing CSIS’s cross-cutting analysis in mid- to long-term futures, as well as innovative use of foresight methodologies such as data analysis, modeling, simulation, and gaming. It will deliver its findings in ways that are immediately useful in helping organizations navigate global risks and capture emerging opportunities.

“It’s not enough to navigate the compounding crises of today,” said Dr. Kathleen Hicks, CSIS senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program. “Leaders must balance near-term needs with strategy and resource decisions that better position their organizations for accelerating change in the decades ahead. The Risk and Foresight Group will help programs across CSIS meet this challenge.”

Brannen returns to CSIS after spending four years as director of A.T. Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council, where he advised CEOs on the business implications of global macro-trends and conducted long-range assessments of countries, sectors, and industries. Previously at CSIS, he was a senior fellow and led research on unmanned systems, shifting geopolitics, and defense strategic planning.

Brannen also held multiple positions at the Pentagon, including advising on strategy and foresight issues and serving as country director for Turkey in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He holds a master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity University in Texas.