Caitlin Welsh

Director, Global Food and Water Security Program
Caitlin Welsh

Caitlin Welsh is the director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she analyzes the drivers and consequences of food and water insecurity around the world, including for U.S. national security. Her specific areas of focus include the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine on global food security and nutrition, food insecurity in the U.S. military, and the coherence between U.S. global water security policy and U.S. global food security policy. Prior to joining CSIS, Ms. Welsh served for over 12 years in the U.S. government, including at the National Security Council and National Economic Council as director for global economic engagement with responsibility for the G7 and G20, and at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Food Security, where she served as acting director. Ms. Welsh was a presidential management fellow at the U.S. African Development Foundation and a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. She has testified before Congress on global food security on multiple occasions, and her analysis has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, NPR, PBS, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, BBC, Newsweek, and other outlets. Ms. Welsh received her BA from the University of Virginia and MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and hails from Erie, Pennsylvania. 

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Executive Education

Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People

Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People offers embassy, business, and nonprofit professionals the tools and knowledge necessary to better navigate the Washington policy ecosystem.

Course Date: October 27, 2025
Registration Closes: October 17, 2025

The Nature of Strength

As agriculture faces growing biological and environmental threats, crop biodiversity is vital to maintaining and building resilience. CSIS experts examine how agrobiodiversity, and the genebanks that safeguard it, are strategic assets ensuring a more secure future.

Digital Report by Zane Swanson and Caitlin Welsh — June 11, 2025

Blueprint for an Agricultural Recovery Plan for Ukraine

No formal plan for Ukraine’s agricultural recovery exists today. CSIS presents a blueprint for an agricultural recovery plan that positions Ukraine’s agriculture sector for an economically competitive future, with benefits for Ukraine’s economy and global food security. 

Report by Antonina Broyaka, Vitalii Dankevych, Emma Dodd, and Caitlin Welsh — June 4, 2025

Audio Briefs

Is Food Security National Security?

An audio version of “⁠Is Food Security National Security?⁠⁠⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS's Caitlin Welsh. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Caitlin Welsh — May 21, 2025

Audio Briefs

Is Food Security National Security?

Advocates of U.S. food aid claim “food security is national security” without explaining possible links between food insecurity abroad and U.S. national security at home. Links may be indirect, but rationales for U.S. leadership on global food security remain strong.

Commentary by Caitlin Welsh — May 21, 2025