Kathleen McInnis

Director, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Kathleen Mcinnis

Kathleen J. McInnis is a director and senior fellow of the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her research areas include the intersection of gender and national security; global security strategy; defense policy; and transatlantic security. Before rejoining the Center, she served as a specialist in international security at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), where she served as a senior expert to Congress on strategic issues including defense policy, military operations, civilian-military relations, irregular warfare, and global strategy. Prior to CRS, she worked as a research consultant at Chatham House in London, writing on NATO and transatlantic security matters. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. McInnis served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy), working on NATO operations in Afghanistan. During her last time working at CSIS from 2004 to 2006, Dr. McInnis analyzed U.S. nuclear weapons strategy, European security, and transatlantic relations. She also worked as a researcher in the UK House of Commons, focusing on NATO, the European Union, and U.S.-UK political-military relations, from 2001 to 2003. Dr. McInnis is widely published; her articles have featured in major domestic and international outlets. She is the author of two books: How and Why States Defect from Contemporary Military Coalition (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) and the novel The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon (Post Hill Press, 2018). Dr. McInnis was awarded her MSc in international relations from the London School of Economics and completed her PhD in war studies at King’s College London.

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To Infinity and Beyond: OpenAI to the New Space Race

On this episode, Ashley Pilipiszyn discusses her decision to take a job at OpenAI or finish her PhD. In addition, the group delves into the growing space race between China and the United States.

Event — December 19, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

To Infinity and Beyond: Open AI to the New Space Race

On this episode, Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula explore Ashley Pilipiszyn’s decision and delve into the growing space race between China and the United States.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula — December 19, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power
Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Beyond the Spin: Truth, Media, and Democracy

Dr. Kathleen McInnis dives into Nina Jankowicz's past, from leaving government, suing Fox News, and ultimately using the sum of her experiences to inspire the creation of the American Sunlight Project. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — December 11, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Women: Mission Essential Personnel

Women in the joint force are a decisive U.S. advantage. In a strategic environment wherein China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are learning from each other, the joint force needs every advantage it can get if the Trump administration intends to defend U.S. interests.

Commentary by Kathleen McInnis — November 18, 2024

Countering China and Russia: The Hidden Advantages of Women, Peace, and Security

Gender perspectives can be better utilized to identify means to more effectively collaborate with partner nations and strengthen U.S. deterrence. This brief argues that the Women, Peace, and Security tool kit should be utilized as a strategic enabler for DoD activities.

Brief by Kathleen McInnis, Benjamin Jensen, Audrey Aldisert, and Alexis Day — November 14, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Decoding the Pentagon Bureaucracy

Dr. Janine Davidson joins to discuss her years of navigating the bureaucracy within the Pentagon and the lessons she has taken with her to higher education.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 6, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power