Elsa B. Kania

Adjunct Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

@ebkania
Press: [email protected]
*Ms. Kania is on military leave & is unable to take media requests at this time.*

Research Areas

Elsa B. Kania is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Center for a New American Security's Technology and National Security Program and a 2026 Research Fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point. Dr. Kania received her MA and PhD in Political Science from Harvard University's Department of Government, and she is also a graduate of Harvard College (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Her research focuses on China's military strategy, command capabilities, defense innovation, and emerging technological developments, as well as cross-Strait security and deterrence challenges. She maintains working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Her views are her own.

Dr. Kania has been invited to testify before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and the National Commission on Service. She was a Fulbright Specialist in Australia and named an official “Mad Scientist” by the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. Her writings and commentary have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Defense One, among others, and her academic research has been published in The Journal of Strategic Studies and The Cyber Defense Review. She has been quoted in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and The Economist.

Dr. Kania has extensive analytical experience and has engaged with a range of institutions on issues including China's military-civil fusion strategy, military learning, innovation strategies, and defense technology competition. At Harvard, she initially worked as a research assistant through the Belfer Center and Weatherhead Center, and she was a Boren Scholar in Beijing. She has been a 2025-6 fellow with the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations; Visiting Scholar, DKI Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies; Associate, US Air Force China Aerospace Studies Institute; Non-Resident Fellow, Institute for the Study of War; Visiting Scholar, Taiwan Center for Security Studies; Visiting Fellow, Military Transformations Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies; Non-Resident Fellow, International Cyber Policy Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Policy Advisor, Institute for Security and Technology; and Research Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology.