Phil Kaplan

Phil Kaplan is the executive director of the Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment at the Yale University Jackson School of Global Affairs. His research and coursework focus on counterterrorism, special operations, and national security decision-making. Prior to joining the faculty, he served as the Senior Advisor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played a key role in the development of U.S. sanctions policy. In particular, he was involved in the sanctions response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including the establishment of a price cap for Russian oil and efforts to counter Russian sanctions and export control evasion. Since leaving government he has spoken at Yale’s Special Operations Forces Conference (April 2024) and delivered a guest lecture on sanctions and export controls at the Kyiv School of Economics (August 2024). Previously, he was a ranger-qualified airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq and Syria in support of a counterterrorism-focused Special Operations Joint Task Force. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University and earned a JD from Yale Law School. Following law school, he clerked for the Hon. José A. Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.