Mark F. Cancian

Senior Adviser, International Security Program
Mark F. Cancian

Mark Cancian (Colonel, USMCR, ret.) is a senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program. He joined CSIS in April 2015 from the Office of Management and Budget, where he spent more than seven years as chief of the Force Structure and Investment Division, working on issues such as Department of Defense budget strategy, war funding, and procurement programs, as well as nuclear weapons development and nonproliferation activities in the Department of Energy. Previously, he worked on force structure and acquisition issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and ran research and executive programs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In the military, Colonel Cancian spent over three decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, active and reserve, serving as an infantry, artillery, and civil affairs officer and on overseas tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq (twice). Since 2000, he has been an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he teaches a course on the connection between policy and analysis. A prolific author, he has published over 40 articles on military operations, acquisition, budgets, and strategy and received numerous writing awards. He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and with highest honors (Baker scholar) from Harvard Business School.

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Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan

CSIS wargamed a Chinese invasion of Taiwan 24 times and found that Taiwan would endure as a democratic and independent entity in most scenarios. However, the costs were enormous. Victory is not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence to avoid war.

Report by Mark F. Cancian , Matthew Cancian , and Eric Heginbotham — January 9, 2023

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DOD and Border Security—At What Price?

The Trump administration’s FY 2020 budget proposed to continue DOD’s role in border security, a role that includes both construction and troop deployments. CSIS’s Mark Cancian explains the different mechanisms the administration proposes to use and why they are complicated.

Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian — March 13, 2019

Photo: GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP/Getty Images

What to Look for in the FY 2020 Defense Budget Request

CSIS International Security Program experts outline their questions and expectations for the Trump administration’s forthcoming FY 2020 defense budget request.  

Brief by Mark F. Cancian , Todd Harrison , Seamus P. Daniels , Andrew Philip Hunter , and Kathleen H. Hicks — January 31, 2019

Photo: DOD/Public Domain

The Mattis Resignation: What Does It Mean for the Future of National Security?

Many commentators regard Defense Secretary Mattis’s departure with concern because he was seen as an experienced and moderating voice in an administration that tended to the erratic. So, there is a high level of uncertainty and anxiety about what happens next.

Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian , Todd Harrison , and Andrew Philip Hunter — December 21, 2018

Photo: NATO/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Bad Idea: Using the Phrase 'Military Requirements'

The notion of “requirements” is deeply embedded in military jargon and decision-making processes, but it has two perverse effects, and therefore, the term should be abolished.

Commentary by Mark F. Cancian — December 7, 2018

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Luke Milano

Defense Buildup: Where Are the Forces?

Even with the Trump administration’s increased defense spending, there is no escaping the trade-off among readiness, modernization, and force structure as CSIS expert Mark Cancian in the International Security Program writes in a new commentary.

Commentary by Mark F. Cancian — October 11, 2018

Photo: DOD/Flickr

Why Americans Should Study Military History

Join the Project on Military and Diplomatic History to consider the proper approaches to history and why the study of military history is as important as ever for the modern citizen and statesman.

Event by Mark F. Cancian and Dr. Dennis Showalter — June 6, 2018

Maritime Security Dialogue: Innovation and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force

Please join CSIS and the United States Naval Institute (USNI) for a Maritime Security Dialogue event featuring a panel discussion on innovation and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).

Event by Mark F. Cancian , Kathleen H. Hicks , LtGen Brian D. Beaudreault, USMC , LtGen Robert Hedelund, USMC , LtGen Robert Walsh, USMC , Dr. Maren Leed , and Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly, USN (Ret.) — June 4, 2018