CNAS Announces 2026 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows

Washington, January 28, 2026—The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) announced today the selection of the 2026 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows. Now celebrating its 16^th anniversary, with the highest number of applicants to date, the NextGen Program is a fundamental component of CNA’S commitment to ensuring the United States develops a diverse cadre of talented individuals dedicated to preserving and strengthening its national security. Previous fellows have gone on to careers as elected officials, CEOs, military commanders, high-level cabinet officials, and more. After a highly competitive process, CNAS selected a bipartisan group of 26 emerging leaders from multiple sectors. This year’s fellows include members of the military; government professionals, including from the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and Congress; individuals from the private and nonprofit sectors; and think tank experts.

"Each year, I am impressed by the exceptional quality, experiences, and contributions of the applicants. We're excited to have chosen such a remarkable array of talent with such varied life experiences in the 2026 cohort,” said Michèle Flournoy, CNAS co-Founder and chair of the Board and Next Generation Fellowship Program.

Through this leadership development program and its monthly speaker series and small private discussions, the NextGen Fellows will engage with those who have led before them, developing a deeper understanding of U.S. national security interests and policies, as well as leadership principles and best practices. Previous classes have met with former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Antony Blinken, former National Security Advisors Jake Sullivan and Susan Rice, former White House Chiefs of Staff Josh Bolten and Denis McDonough, Ambassador Nate Fick, General Stanley McChrystal, Admiral Cecil Haney, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), former Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI), and many others. Fellows will also collaborate with CNAS experts and participate in events. Upon completion of the program, fellows remain connected to the Center through the CNAS alumni program.

The complete list of the 2026 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows is below. Their full biographies are available below.

CNAS 2026 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows:

• Jason Arterburn, Deployment Strategist, Palantir Technologies
• Anthony Aslou, Intelligence Research Specialist, U.S. Department of State
• Emma Borden, Associate Director, Center for the Geopolitics of AGI, RAND
• Natalia Cote-Muñoz, Co-Founder and CEO, Vantage Point Strategies
• Laura Courchesne, Managing Director, Frontier Model Forum
• Katherine Dahlstrand, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
• Eileen Dombrowski, Director of Strategic Growth and Policy, onsemi
• James Eggers, Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard
• Karim Farishta, Senior Director for State and Local Government, C3 AI
• Salman Husain, Project Management Consultant, Provectus Consulting
• Alexandra Jackson, Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Maxine Jacobson, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Chief Counsel for Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Peter Loftus, Major and Chief of Staff of the Air Force PhD Fellow, U.S. Air Force
• Preston Marquis, Associate, WilmerHale
• Tiffany Rose Miller, Intelligence Officer, U.S Government
• Walker Mills, Major and Department Head, U.S. Marine Corps
• Moises Navas, Executive Director and Student, QLab (Harvard/MIT)
• Will Oakley, Captain, U.S. Army
• Ifeoluwa Olawole, Director of Research, Peace and Governance, Mercy Corps
• Kaitlyn Ostrom-Ross, Project Lead, Senior Cyber Investigator, Duke University
• Alex Palmer, Contributing Writer, The New York Times Magazine
• Benjamin Priday, Special Assistant to the Director, OSD CAPE, U.S. Department of Defense
• Bethan Saunders, Military Legislative Assistant, U.S. Senate
• Joe Schuman, Deputy Division Chief, Joint Staff J-8
• Robert Sumner, Principal Cybersecurity Engineer, MITRE Corporation
• Jeff Zeberlein, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy