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: March 24, 2025
Registration Closes: March 12, 2025
The Truth of the Matter

Transatlantic Tensions at the Munich Security Conference

CSIS’s Steve Morrison and Caitlin Welsh discuss the fallout from VP JD Vance's Munich speech and its impact on NATO and U.S.-European relations. They also explore European unity on food security, climate change, and health, and the broader effects on global stability.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz, J. Stephen Morrison, and Caitlin Welsh — February 26, 2025

CSIS the truth of the matter

Ukraine's Decreased Grain Production Creates Opportunities for Russia

Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s agriculture sector precipitated a substantial decrease in Ukraine’s harvested land area. While the sector is adapting, reduced farming and export capacity in Ukraine has realigned global agricultural trade in Russia’s favor.

Chart by Caitlin Welsh and Emma Dodd — February 11, 2025

Seeding Security: Why Agrobiodiversity Loss Threatens National Security

Agriculture is increasingly strained by growing food demand, global conflict, and the loss of its most foundational resource, agrobiodiversity. CSIS experts examine why the loss of agrobiodiversity threatens not just food security, but global security writ large.

Critical Questions by Zane Swanson and Caitlin Welsh — January 21, 2025

To Bolster Global Food and Water Security, Strengthen U.S. Policy Coordination

Clean water and nutritious food are vital to human welfare. They are also increasingly important to U.S. strategic interests. Strengthening U.S. policy coordination can maximize resources and capture multiple synergies across global food and water security goals.

Commentary by David Michel and Caitlin Welsh — December 18, 2024

Audio Briefs

To Bolster Global Food and Water Security, Strengthen U.S. Policy Coordination

An audio version of “To Bolster Global Food and Water Security, Strengthen U.S. Policy Coordination,” a new commentary by CSIS’s David Michel and Caitlin Welsh. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by David Michel and Caitlin Welsh — December 18, 2024

Audio Briefs

Farming Frontlines: How Food and Agriculture Will Impact Negotiations in Ukraine

Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure and foreign-flagged grain-carrying vessels reflect a broader strategy for geopolitical and economic gains at the expense of global food security. CSIS experts discuss how this could shape peace negotiations.

Commentary by Caitlin Welsh and Emma Dodd — December 17, 2024

Demining Ukraine’s Farmland: Progress, Adaptation, and Needs

Landmine contamination across Ukraine’s farmland remains a complex and pervasive challenge despite significant progress. What else is needed to restore Ukraine’s farmland, and why should it remain a priority for the United States and Ukraine’s allies?

Critical Questions by Emma Dodd and Caitlin Welsh — December 5, 2024