About Kathleen

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Kathleen J. McInnis is a national security policy analyst who has worked in the Pentagon, the UK Parliament, and in think tanks on both sides of the Atlantic.

As an International Security Specialist for the Congressional Research Service and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow for the Atlantic Council of the United States, she currently analyzes international security and defense issues for the United States Congress. Prior to that, she was a research consultant at Chatham House in London, working on NATO and transatlantic security matters.

Kathleen also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy), working NATO-Afghanistan matters and stability operations capability development. During her time there, she helped formulate and support US policy for two NATO summits, eight NATO Defense Ministerial meetings, and four Regional Command- South Ministerial meetings. Prior to joining Stability Operations, Ms. McInnis spent several years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), analyzing US nuclear weapons strategy, strategic capabilities, NATO, European security, and transatlantic relations.  Before joining CSIS, she was a researcher in the United Kingdom House of Commons, working on NATO, the European Union, and US-UK political-military relations. In addition to chatting with book clubs, Kathleen regularly speaks and lectures to academic, NATO and U.S. government audiences. 

Kathleen has written for outlets including The Atlantic Monthly,  Foreign Policy Magazine, The Washington Times, The Washington Quarterly, Buzzfeed, Defense One,  War on the Rocks, and Defense News. She has appeared on CNN, Sky News, BBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera English, and Voice of America to comment on international affairs. Her work has taken her all over the world; the places she has traveled include the Republic of Djibouti, the Norwegian Arctic, China, Tokyo, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Australia.

Kathleen received her PhD in War Studies at King’s College in London; her MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics; and her Bachelor of Arts at Towson University in Maryland. Born in Annapolis, Maryland, Kathleen is a self-professed “base brat” who grew up on US bases overseas. She lived in D.C., Baltimore, London, and Yorkshire before returning to Annapolis, where she currently lives.