Steven Sturges is a research assistant for the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Before joining CNAS, he was a staff assistant and legislative correspondent in the House of Representatives. Sturges holds a BA in political science from The Ohio State University, with minors in economics and public policy, and is completing a master’s degree in national security policy at the RAND School of Public Policy (formerly the Pardee RAND Graduate School). There, his research focuses on the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS Pillar 1, critical minerals supply chains, and the defense industrial base.