
Kathryn Paik is a deputy director and senior fellow with the Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS, Kathryn served in the United States Marine Corps for over 23 years, most recently as the director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific on the National Security Council (NSC) (2021–2023), where she spearheaded numerous initiatives for the administration, including the creation of the first U.S. Pacific Partnership Strategy and the initial U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit. Prior to her time at the NSC, Kathryn held a variety of positions as a Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia foreign area officer, including serving as the marine attaché to Indonesia for three years and as a CH-46E combat helicopter pilot, during which she deployed to Iraq and throughout the Indo-Pacific. Kathryn has a master’s in national security affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School and a bachelor of science in systems engineering from the Naval Academy. She speaks Mandarin and Indonesian.
Areas of Expertise
In the News 8 of 25 results
Trump administration reviewing Biden-era submarine pact with Australia, UK
Kathryn Paik cited in CNN — June 12, 2025
China to host Pacific island countries' envoys amid growing outreach
Kathryn Paik cited in Nikkei Asia — May 28, 2025
As Donald Trump’s tariffs hit US allies hard, will China make inroads?
Kathryn Paik cited in South China Morning Post — April 23, 2025
库克群岛披露与中国合作协议细节 深海开采稀有资源引关注
Kathryn Paik and James Carouso in Radio Free Asia — February 19, 2025
Trump. USAID. What does this mean for the region?
Kathryn Paik published in The Intel — February 18, 2025
Treillis au milieu des palmiers et de l'eau turquoise : face à la Chine, le paradis marin du Pacifique de Palau se prépare à la guerre
Kathryn Paik in Le Figaro — February 8, 2025
US election. So what for development?
Kathryn Paik published in The Intel — November 7, 2024
Climate ‘flashpoint’ looms for Trump’s China-centric focus on Pacific: US analysts
Kathryn Paik in Benar News — November 7, 2024
All Kathryn Paik Content
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Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference
Event — June 17, 2025
Australia Doubles Down on Southeast Asia
Podcast Episode by Kathryn Paik and Gregory B. Poling — June 9, 2025

Australia Doubles Down on Southeast Asia
Commentary by Kathryn Paik and Gregory B. Poling — June 9, 2025
China Courts the Pacific: Key Takeaways from the 2025 China–Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Critical Questions by Kathryn Paik and John Augé — June 3, 2025
China Courts the Pacific: Key Takeaways from the 2025 China–Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Podcast Episode by Kathryn Paik and John Augé — June 3, 2025

New Zealand’s Wake-Up Call: Beijing’s Reach Reorienting Wellington’s Regional Role
Podcast Episode by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — May 7, 2025

New Zealand’s Wake-Up Call: Beijing’s Reach Reorienting Wellington’s Regional Role
Commentary by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — May 7, 2025
China’s Power Play Across the Pacific
Commentary by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — April 8, 2025
China’s Power Play Across the Pacific
Podcast Episode by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — April 8, 2025

Enhancing Defense Industrial Cooperation Between Australia and the United States
Report by Cynthia R. Cook, Charles Edel, Kathryn Paik, Gregory Sanders, Henry H. Carroll, Katy Buda, and John Augé — March 3, 2025