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Phillip Carter
Phillip Carter is Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security. His research focuses on issues facing veterans and military personnel, force structure and readiness issues, and civil-military relations.
Mr. Carter began his career as an Army officer, serving for several years in the active and reserve components as a military police and civil affairs officer. He deployed to Iraq in 2005-06, where he served as an embedded adviser with the Iraqi police in the Diyala province, and worked closely with the State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Team. After coming home, Mr. Carter became increasingly involved in veterans and national security policy issues. In 2007, Mr. Carter helped stand up the Obama campaign’s veterans policy committee; in 2008, he joined the campaign as its national veterans director, responsible for policy and political engagement with the veterans and military community. In 2009, Mr. Carter served as a political appointee in the Obama administration, responsible for detainee policy issues.
In addition to his military and government experience, Mr. Carter has worked in the private sector as an attorney and business leader. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Carter served as chief operating officer and counsel for Caerus Associates, a private-sector strategy and design firm. Prior to that, Mr. Carter practiced law with a major international law firm, where his work focused on government contracts, export controls, and national security law. Mr. Carter authored briefs in the landmark national security cases Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (relating to military commissions at Guantanamo Bay), FAIR vs. Rumsfeld (relating to military recruiting on university campuses) and Al-Aulaqi v. Obama (a challenge to U.S. targeting of al Qaeda personnel in Yemen). Mr. Carter continues to practice law as counsel with the law firm Fluet Huber + Hoang PLLC, focusing on government contracts and national security law.
Mr. Carter currently serves on the Reserve Forces Policy Board, teaches as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal for National Security Law & Policy. He writes extensively on legal and national security issues, and comments on national security issues as @Carter_PE on Twitter.
A native of Southern California, Mr. Carter attended college and law school at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Needs Assessment: Veterans in the Dallas-Fort Worth Region
An assessment by the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program finds that Dallas-Fort Worth area veterans face diverse challenges including access to VA services, economics, housing, and transportation issues, with many of these issues exacerbated by the region's booming economy.
Read MoreCharting the Sea of Goodwill
Report conducts a comprehensive landscape analysis of the military and veteran-service organization space and its funding sources, and finds that while the support needed by more than 21 million veterans in America is growing, philanthropic support is fragmented and charitable contributions are not keeping pace.
Read MoreCNAS Needs Assessment: Veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter and Bacevich Fellow Katherine Kidder author a study on Southwest Pennsylvania's veterans community, drawing upon data from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and other sources.
Read MorePassing the Baton: A Bipartisan 2016 Agenda for the Veteran and Military Community
As the 2016 election cycle moves into full swing, four CNAS experts lay out a comprehensive overview of issues facing the veteran and military community and a plan with substantive recommendations for how the next President can best serve the veteran and military community.
Read MoreIdeas to Action: Suggestions for the 25th Secretary of Defense
In advance of Dr. Ashton Carter’s upcoming nomination hearing to be Secretary of Defense, CNAS experts have produced a series of commentaries outlining the key issues the 25th Secretary of Defense will face.
Read MoreMilitary Compensation and Retirement Modernization: A Primer
Phillip Carter and Katherine Kidder examine the growth of military compensation in the post-Cold War era, from 1990 to 2015, as well as the social contract America has with its All-Volunteer Force, and the ways in which monetary compensation should be considered as part of a broader talent management strategy for the armed forces.
Read MoreNeeds Assessment: Veterans in the Western United States
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter and Research Associate Katherine Kidder have released a study that examines the struggles that some veterans are confronting in adjusting to civilian life as well as the service related issues some suffer later in life.
Read MoreExpanding the Net: Building Mental Health Care Capacity for Veterans
Although the VA will spend nearly $7 billion this year on mental health care for veterans, CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter argues in Expanding the Net: Building Mental Health Care Capacity for Veterans, this is not likely to be enough. The report urges the VA to rely more on the private sector and work more closely with local community and private philanthropic organizations.
Read MoreInternational Law Constrains U.S. Action in Syria
Two basic legal principles animate our current international system: states are sovereign, and they shall not, generally speaking, attack each other. . . . As the U.S. weighs action against the brutal Syrian regime, it must decide whether to abide by these laws, or abandon them in pursuit of some greater good to be gained through an arguably unlawful intervention in Syria.
Read MoreCNAS Commentaries: The Way Forward in Syria
Nine experts at the Center for a New American Security offer analysis and commentary on the range of issues relating to the U.S. response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Asad regime in Syria.
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A Conversation About Healthcare Technology as a National Security Asset and Improving Outcomes
CNAS cordially invites you to attend a panel discussion of how the Department of Defense and others are leveraging technology to improve health care outcomes, improve readiness, and do so with greater efficiency.
U.S. Lauds Iraqi Forces for Gains Against Islamic State in Ramadi
In the Wall Street Journal, Phillip Carter, senior fellow and director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program, discusses ISIS in Ramadi.
Read MoreA defense/veterans wish list for the State of the Union
Phillip Carter, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program, discussed President Obama's omission of VA health reform in the 2016 State of the Union address.
Read MoreAre We Ready For The Decline Of Veteran And Military Nonprofits?
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter, and Bacevich Fellow Katherine Kidder are mentioned in regards to their report "Charting the Sea of Goodwill" in Task & Purpose.
Read MoreHigh veteran unemployment appears to be in the past, but the push for more hires continues
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter discusses the value of promoting veterans in the workforce in The Los Angeles Times.
Read MoreWestern Pennsylvania foundations to help veterans utilize skills
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter examines the relationship between the VA and veterans in The Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
Read MoreHow satisfied with services are Pittsburgh-area veterans?
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter discusses his study on services available to veterans in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Read MoreVA looks to revamp private care for veterans in ambitious plan
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter examines private care services for veterans in The Washington Post.
Read MoreObama's counterterrorism chief takes fresh stab at closing Guantanamo
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter discusses new efforts to close Guantanamo Bay in Reuters.
Read MoreVeteran Jobs Mission: New Name, New Goal for Hiring One Million U.S. Military Veterans
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter discusses the work of the Veterans Jobs Mission in Market Watch.
Read MoreObama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter discusses the significance of President Obama nominating the first openly gay Army secretary in The Washington Post.
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Why foreign troops can't fight our fights
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter penned an op-ed discussing whether foreign troops can be effective in the pursuit of US interests in The Washington Post.
Read MoreSigh, Sy
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter pens a Slate op-ed discussing Seymour Hersh’s latest dispatch in the London Review of Books.
Read MoreFerguson's Cops Are Armed Like I Was in Iraq
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter in The Daily Beast analyzes the excessive militarization of American police forces by drawing a striking comparison between U.S. armed forces in Iraq to Missouri's Ferguson Police Department.
Read MoreIt’s Time to Talk About the Role of U.S. Civilians in Modern War
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter and Janine Davidson, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, advocate that deployed American civilian personnel receive "adequate support and security."
Read MoreHow to Fix the VA
Senior Fellow, Counsel and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program Phillip Carter penned an op-ed for Slate Magazine providing suggestions for how to repair the problematic VA health care system in the aftermath of Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation.
Read MoreWhen 9,800 Doesn't Equal 9,800
Military, Veterans, and Society Program Director Phillip Carter weighs in on President Obama's Afghan plan in a Foreign Policy op-ed.
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Phil Carter, Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
Military, Veterans, and Society Program Director Phillip Carter joins Federal News Radio to discuss an open letter on Defense Department reform.
Read MoreVideo: Women and Leadership in National Security
CNAS CEO Michèle Flournoy, Senior Fellow Phillip Carter, and Research Associate Katherine Kidder discuss the vision behind CNAS' initiative discussing women and leadership in national security.
Read MoreThis Week in Defense News: The AUMF and IS Strategy
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter discusses the authorization for use of military force request and the White House's strategy to battle ISIS.
Read MorePhil Carter, Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
Military, Veterans and Society Program Director Phillip Carter disusses electronic health records and healthcare technology with Federal News Radio.
Read MoreRedesigning the All-Volunteer Force of the Future
On November 20, CNAS hosted a half-day conference on the civilian-military divide and the future of an all-volunteer force. The second panel, focused on redesigning the all-volunteer force of the future, featured Dr. Tim Kane, Margaret Harrell, Hon. Arnold Punaro, Spencer Kympton and Phillip Carter.
Read MoreVideo: Visualizing Today's Veterans Population and Forecasting the Issues of Tomorrow
Senior Fellow Phillip Carter presents on today's veterans population at the CNAS Eighth Annual National Security Conference.
Read MoreVideo: Under scrutiny before, VA delay allegations strike a chord
PBS NewsHour interviews Military, Veterans and Society Director Phillip Carter on allegations that dozens of patients have died because of delayed treatment at a VA hospital.
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