CNAS Welcomes Abe Denmark and David Black to Indo-Pacific Security Program

Washington, April 20, 2026 — The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is thrilled to welcome Abe Denmark and David Black as adjunct senior fellows with the Indo-Pacific Security Program.

Denmark is a leading expert on Indo-Pacific security, having served as a senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. In that capacity, he led the development and implementation of the Australia–United Kingdom–United States (AUKUS) partnership. He is currently a partner at The Asia Group, where he cochairs the Defense & National Security Practice and leads the Australia Practice.

You can find his full bio here.

Black served in multiple senior leadership positions at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), most recently as the senior policy advisor for the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance where he led the development of USAID's 2024 Democracy Policy.

You can find his full bio here.

“Abe and David bring decades of experience on critical security issues to our team,” said Lisa Curtis, director of the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program. “Their expertise and insights will enhance our work on strengthening deterrence and demonstrating the importance of continued American aid and engagement with the region.”

The CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program develops pragmatic national security policy for the world’s most populous region. Recent reports and initiatives have included a study on the importance of revitalizing ties with India, strengthening U.S.-Japan-Philippines cooperation, and regional responses to a potential Taiwan contingency.