
John Hamre was elected president and CEO of CSIS in January 2000. Before joining CSIS, he served as the 26th U.S. deputy secretary of defense. Prior to holding that post, he was the under secretary of defense (comptroller) from 1993 to 1997. As comptroller, Dr. Hamre was the principal assistant to the secretary of defense for the preparation, presentation, and execution of the defense budget and management improvement programs. In 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Dr. Hamre to serve as chairman of the Defense Policy Board, and he served in that capacity for four secretaries of defense.
Before serving in the Department of Defense, Dr. Hamre worked for 10 years as a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During that time, he was primarily responsible for the oversight and evaluation of procurement, research, and development programs, defense budget issues, and relations with the Senate Appropriations Committee. From 1978 to 1984, Dr. Hamre served in the Congressional Budget Office, where he became its deputy assistant director for national security and international affairs. In that position, he oversaw analysis and other support for committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Dr. Hamre received his Ph.D., with distinction, in 1978 from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., where his studies focused on international politics and economics and U.S. foreign policy. In 1972, he received his B.A., with high distinction, from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, emphasizing political science and economics. The following year he studied as a Rockefeller fellow at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Senator Shaheen on U.S. Soft Power and Competition with China
Event — July 15, 2025
Denmark’s Role in European and Transatlantic Security
Event — July 8, 2025
Looking Forward: The Future of United States-Japan-Korea Trilateral Relations
Event — June 18, 2025
How Global Governance Can Survive
Commentary by Victor Cha, John J. Hamre, and John Ikenberry — June 11, 2025
2025 Global Security Forum, Strength Through the Storm: Industry, Innovation, and the Future of U.S. Military Power
Event — May 13, 2025
Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War
Event — May 9, 2025
U.S.-Japan Alliance in Transition: A Japanese Reformist Leader's Proposals
Event — May 2, 2025
Outlook for U.S.-Japan Relations: Perspectives from Japanese Legislators
Event — April 28, 2025
LeadershIP 2025
Event — April 1, 2025
Book Launch: Critical Minerals and the Future of the U.S. Economy
Event — February 27, 2025