Research

I specialize in defense policy research, and I prioritize work that aims to reduce the risks of war, encourage more effective U.S. and allied foreign and defense policy, and inform policymakers and the public on my areas of expertise. My research methodology is reading a lot, writing a little, and asking smart people to review my work.

Current Projects

• Mitigating Organic Industrial Base Single Points of Failure

• Intrawar Escalation Dynamics (conflict simulation)

Publications

• “Future Homeport Availability for U.S. Navy Strategic Laydown and Dispersal,” RAND, forthcoming.

• “Nuclear Modernization Execution Challenges,” RAND, forthcoming.

• “Assessing the Applicability of Aerial and Maritime Refueling History & Operations to Space,” RAND, forthcoming.

• “Golden Horizon: Building A Golden Dome for America,” RAND, forthcoming.

• “Increasing Army Air and Missile Defense Capacity to Meet Homeland and Contingency Demands,” RAND, December 2025.

• “Career Advice for Policy Researchers,” EA Forum, October 26, 2025.

• “In Brief: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Will Shape Key Defense Priorities,” War on the Rocks, July 22, 2025, co-contributor with Heather Williams, Katherine Kuzminski, Steven Wills, and Sam Wilson. [WOTR members paywall]

• “Five Priorities to Advance NATO’s Space Mission,” Defense News, June 23, 2015, co-authored with Anca Agachi and Bruce McClintock.

• “In Brief: Steps Toward Golden Dome,” War on the Rocks, June 17, 2025, co-contributor with Kari Bingen, Stephanie Stapleton, and Michael O’Hanlon. [WOTR members paywall]

• “Three Questions with Shaan Shaikh,” Tufts University Career Center, October 29, 2024.

• “Should you pursue an MA degree in International Relations?” EA Forum, October 20, 2024.

• “Three Visions for NATO Air and Missile Defense,” War on the Rocks, August 12, 2024.

• “The Iran-Israel Air Conflict, One Week In,” CSIS Critical Questions, April 19, 2024.

• “Countering Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems: Air Defense by and for the Joint Force,” CSIS Report, November 14, 2023, co-authored with Tom Karako and Michelle McLoughlin.

• “China’s Hypersonic Future,” Law & Liberty, December 9, 2021.

• “The Air and Missile War in Nagorno-Karabakh: Lessons for the Future of Strike and Defense,” CSIS Critical Questions, December 8, 2020, co-authored with Wes Rumbaugh.

• “Around the Table with Shaan Shaikh,” CNAS Make Room Newsletter, July 27, 2021.

• “Missiles for Peace: A Path to a Durable Cease-fire in Yemen,” Al Arabiya, June 17, 2020, co-authored with Ian Williams.

• “Lessons from Yemen’s Missile War,” Defense One, June 11, 2020, co-authored with Ian Williams.

• “The Missile War in Yemen,” CSIS Report, June 9, 2020, co-authored with Ian Williams.

• “Iranian Missiles in Iraq,” CSIS Briefs, December 11, 2019.

• “Hezbollah’s Missiles and Rockets,” CSIS Briefs, July 2018, co-authored with Ian Williams.