CNAS Welcomes John “Jack” Shanahan to its Technology and National Security Program as an Adjunct Senior Fellow

Washington, September 14, 2021—The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that Lieutenant General (ret.) John “Jack” Shanahan has joined CNAS as an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Technology and National Security Program, where his research will focus on the military’s adoption of resilient, robust, reliable, and secure AI.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jack to CNAS,” said Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program. “His decades of operational experience in the Air Force and JAIC, and his expertise in the real-world applications of AI in defense will be an invaluable asset to our growing portfolio of work.”

Shanahan, who retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2020, most recently served as the inaugural Director of the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Throughout his 36-year military career, Shanahan served in a variety of operational and staff positions in various fields including flying, intelligence, policy, and command and control. He commanded at the squadron, group, wing, Agency, and Numbered Air Force levels.

As the first Director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven), he established and led DoD’s pathfinder AI fielding program charged with bringing AI capabilities to intelligence collection and analysis. Shanahan is currently enrolled in North Carolina State University’s Master of International Studies program.

For more information or to request and interview, contact Sydney Simon at ssimon@cnas.org or call 202-457-9400.