Sam Howell

Associate Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

Research Areas

Sam Howell is an associate fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her research interests include quantum information science, semiconductors, STEM workforce issues, and the use of emerging technologies to enhance human performance.

Howell previously served as a military operations and security force assistance analyst on the Afghanistan War Commission. She also worked as an intelligence analyst at a D.C.-based risk consulting firm, and as a counterterrorism researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and the Elliott School of International Affairs. She began her career as a staff assistant on Capitol Hill.

Howell’s commentary and analysis have appeared in outlets including The Economist, Foreign Policy, Lawfare, The Diplomat, and Voice of America. She holds an MA in security policy studies from the George Washington University and a BA in bioethics and political science from Baylor University.

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In The News
- Breaking Defense
- February 19, 2025
Pentagon’s $96M Wearable Contract Sparks Protest, Accusations of Vendor Preference
By Sam Howell
In The News
- The Wire China
- February 18, 2025
The Quantum Panic
By Sam Howell
Reports
- January 20, 2025
The First 100 Days
By Richard Fontaine, Geoffrey Gertz, Emily Kilcrease, Janet Egan, Paul Scharre, Vivek Chilukuri, Sam Howell, Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante, Stacie Pettyjohn, Carlton Haelig, Becca Wasser, Josh Wallin, Jacob Stokes, Lisa Curtis, Katherine L. Kuzminski, Carrie Cordero, Jonathan Lord & Jim Townsend
Commentary
- January 20, 2025
Secure America’s Tech Competitiveness
By Sam Howell
Commentary
- Just Security
- November 8, 2024
The Trump Administration Must Make Quantum Technology a Priority in the First 100 Days
By Sam Howell