Kathleen McInnis

Senior Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative
Kathleen Mcinnis

Kathleen J. McInnis is a senior fellow and director 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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Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Understanding the Woman Voter

Ashley O’Connor, Managing Partner at Strategic Partners & Media, joins for a conversation on the evolution of political campaigning and advertising.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 29, 2023

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

Climate Change: A Threat Multiplier

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Sherri Goodman, a former senior defense official, for a discussion on her early work in climate security, and how climate change is impacting the national security landscape.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 15, 2023

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

A Moldovan Minute

Natalia Gavrilița, former Prime Minister of Moldova (2021-2023), joins for a conversation on her leadership of Moldova during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and more. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 7, 2023

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

Your Reputation Precedes You

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Mackenzie Eaglen, Senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a thoughtful conversation on the power of your reputation and credibility in Washington, DC.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — November 1, 2023

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

Let's Talk About Gender

Susan Markham, Director of the Peace With Women Fellowship program joins Kathleen at the Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) for a conversation about the role of gender in foreign policy, including her experience implementing gender policy at USAID.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 25, 2023

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

Purpose and Care within the U.S. Army Reserve

Kathleen McInnis sat down with Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 18, 2023

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

The Fight Continues for Iranian Women

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad for a conversation on the current state of Iran and women’s rights.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 11, 2023

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

A Court Date for Humanity

Kathleen McInnis visited Washington University in St. Louis, where she sat down with Leila Sadat, former special adviser on crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor from 2012-2023. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — October 4, 2023

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

Semiconductors: Here, There, and Everywhere

Girl Security scholar Jordan Tachibana interviews Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for IBM Research Kathleen (Taffy) Kingscott for a discussion on the world of semiconductors and the role of the CHIPS Act.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Alexis Day — September 28, 2023

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

Domestic Terrorist Groups and Natural Disasters

Girl Security scholar Paden Tranter interviews Glitterpill Co-Founder and Chief Intelligence Officer Samantha Kutner.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Alexis Day — September 20, 2023

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power