
Seth G. Jones is president of the Defense and Security Department and Harold Brown Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He focuses on defense strategy, military operations, the defense industrial base, and irregular warfare. He leads a bipartisan team of over 150 resident and non-resident staff that conduct policy-relevant research and analysis on defense and national security issues. Dr. Jones currently serves as a Commissioner on the Congressionally established Afghanistan War Commission. He also teaches at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
Prior to CSIS, Dr. Jones was director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. Before that, he served in several positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and U.S. Special Operations Command. He served as representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations. He was also a plans officer and adviser to the commanding general, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan). Dr. Jones served on a congressionally mandated panel that reviewed the FBI’s implementation of counterterrorism recommendations contained in the 9/11 Commission Report. He is author of The American Edge: The Military Tech Nexus and the Sources of Great Power Dominance (Oxford, 2025), Three Dangerous Men: Russia, China, Iran, and the Rise of Irregular Warfare (W.W. Norton, 2021), A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland (W.W. Norton, 2018), Waging Insurgent Warfare: Lessons from the Vietcong to the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2016), Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa'ida since 9/11 (W.W. Norton, 2012), and In the Graveyard of Empires: America’s War in Afghanistan (W.W. Norton, 2009). Dr. Jones has published articles in a range of journals, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and International Security, and news outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received his MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.
In the News 8 of 378 results
Iran's strategic blunders paved the way for humiliating defeats, experts say
Seth G. Jones cited in NBC News — June 25, 2025
Trump says the US doesn’t have to meet NATO spending goal
Seth G. Jones cited in POLITICO — June 21, 2025
Haiti Is Using Drones to Fight Gangs. Here’s Why That’s Likely to Be Illegal.
Seth G. Jones cited in The New York Times — June 17, 2025
As Trump Wavers, Europe Is More Optimistic About Defending Ukraine
Seth G. Jones cited in The New York Times — June 4, 2025
Troop Casualties in Ukraine War Near 1.4 Million, Study Finds
Seth G. Jones cited in The New York Times — June 3, 2025
Trump promised peace in Ukraine within a day. Here's what actually happened
Seth G. Jones cited in NPR — June 2, 2025
Shooting outside Jewish museum raises questions about shifts in political violence
Seth G. Jones cited in NPR — May 28, 2025
Putin, Zelenskyy absent from first direct Russia-Ukraine talks in 3 years
Seth G. Jones appearance on CBS — May 16, 2025
All Seth G. Jones Content
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Strategic Landpower Dialogue: A Conversation with VCSA General James Mingus
Event — July 2, 2025
Press Briefing: Previewing the NATO Summit
Event — June 20, 2025
One Million Casualties: Russia’s Losses on the Battlefield
Event — June 13, 2025
Emergency Podcast: Israeli Strike on Iran
Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz, Seth G. Jones, Emily Harding, and Benjamin Jensen — June 13, 2025

Russia’s Battlefield Woes in Ukraine
Brief by Seth G. Jones and Riley McCabe — June 3, 2025
“Russia’s Battlefield Woes in Ukraine”: Audio Brief with Seth Jones and Riley McCabe
Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones and Riley McCabe — June 3, 2025

Russia’s Battlefield Woes
Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Seth G. Jones — May 29, 2025

2025 Global Security Forum, Strength Through the Storm: Industry, Innovation, and the Future of U.S. Military Power
Event — May 13, 2025
Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War
Event — May 9, 2025
Seth Jones in the Wall Street Journal: Trump Can Make Russia Pay for Peace in Ukraine
Commentary by Seth G. Jones — April 28, 2025