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Joining Forces

Only one-percent of Americans have served during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. America’s all-volunteer force alone shoulders the responsibility—and the costs—of upholding the security of our entire nation. While this force has demonstrated remarkable resilience over the last decade of constant conflict, the stresses of combat and repeated deployments are taking a toll. The successful care and reintegration of service members, veterans and their families is no longer just the “right” thing to do; it is a strategic imperative.

As an independent partner to the White House for Joining Forces, CNAS conducts rigorous analysis and research, provides actionable recommendations and informs and strengthens the network of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community and philanthropic institutions, businesses and individuals that connect in meaningful ways with those who have served. CNAS research focuses upon the employment, education and wellness challenges confronting service members, veterans and military families.

Senior Fellow Dr. Margaret C. Harrell is Director of the CNAS Joining Forces initiative. Non-Resident Senior Fellow Nancy Berglass leads the CNAS Joining Forces wellness agenda. Joining Forces also benefits from the participation of Senior Advisors General Stanley McChrystal (USA, Ret.), Mrs. Patricia Shinseki and Citigroup Chairman Richard Parsons.

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    Nancy Berglass is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at CNAS, the Director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, and Principal of Berglass Community Investment Consulting.

    Widely respected as among the nation’s leading strategists for the independent sector, Nancy Berglass has worked for over 25 years to address the needs of families, children, low-income communities, troops and veterans, women and other underserved populations through a variety of leadership positions in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.

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  • Dr. Margaret C. Harrell
    Dr. Margaret C. Harrell
    Senior Fellow and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative

    Margaret C. Harrell is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Joining Forces Initiative at the Center for a New American Security. She recently co-authored Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide.

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  • John Nagl
    Dr. John A. Nagl
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Dr. John Nagl is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the Minerva Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval Academy as part of the Department of Defense Minerva Initiative program.  He was previously the President of CNAS. He is also a member of the Defense Policy Board, a Visiting Professor in the War Studies Department at Kings College of London, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  Dr.

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