Brian Katz

Next Generation National Security Fellow, 2017

Country Director for Syria, Office of the Secretary of Defense

  • Press: comms@cnas.org

Brian Katz is Country Director for Syria in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) for Policy. In this role, he provides policy and strategy advice to senior Defense officials on the Syrian conflict and our military and counterterrorism efforts against ISIL and Al Qaeda. Brian has represented OSD at international negotiations for a cessation of hostilities to the Syrian civil war and at campaign planning conferences for the global Counter-ISIL Coalition.

Prior to OSD, Brian served for six years in the U.S. Intelligence Community as a military analyst for Eastern Europe and Russia, South Asia, and the Levant, including multiple overseas tours advising senior U.S. military and diplomatic officials. Earlier in his career, he was an analyst at a variety of public and private sector firms, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, OSD Policy’s Office of Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, Crumpton Group, a strategic advisory firm, and Taylor DeJongh, a global energy investment bank.

Brian is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service for his work on the Syrian conflict and the DNI National Intelligence Medal for his analysis on South Asia. A native Hoosier, Brian holds an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a B.S. in Economics from Duke University.

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