The Debrief

For those serving in the military or civil service, Congress may appear to be a distant, mysterious other branch of government, yet Congress—through its powers to legislate, appropriate, confirm, and oversee—is part and parcel of the national security enterprise. In this episode, Professor Kathleen Walsh guides us through the roles of Congress and how it connects to you, the practitioner.About the Speaker:Kathleen (Kate) Walsh is associate professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College where she has taught policy analysis since 2006. Walsh is a member of the Faculty Advisory Council, the NWC’s Asia Pacific Studies Group (APSG) director and the founder/director of the Oceanography & Maritime Security Group (OMSG). She was a senior consultant to Washington, D.C.-area think tanks including senior associate at the Stimson Center and senior associate at a D.C.-area defense consulting firm, among other past positions there. Her research focuses on China and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly issues of security, technology, innovation and ocean or "blue" economy issues.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

The State Department is the oldest Cabinet-level agency in the United States, with over 250 U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide and 70 to 80 thousand employees, almost half of whom are U.S. citizens. The structure of the State Department and career tracks for our nation’s diplomats both at home and abroad can sometimes be opaque for understanding the full range of activities and missions it serves. Unpacking these matters are Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones, professor and chair of Women, Peace and Security at the U.S. Naval War College and retired career diplomat in the Senior Foreign Service, and Walter Braunohler, Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service and professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College.About the Speakers:Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones is a career diplomat, professor, and published author on U.S. foreign policy and the practice of diplomacy. Her book, To the Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America’s Foreign Policy Disconnect (Norton 2016), was praised by Joseph Nye as “a fascinating account of how diplomacy really works from the bottom up.” Her diplomatic experience spans a 23-year career as a foreign service officer in leadership roles in the Czech Republic, Canada, Guatemala, Spain, and Washington, D.C. She retired with the rank of Minister-Counselor and is the recipient of several Superior and Meritorious Honor awards. Before coming to the USNWC, she directed a master’s program at Northeastern University.Walter Braunohler is the State Department's senior faculty advisor at the U.S. Naval War College. A U.S. foreign service officer for over 20 years, Mr. Braunohler was most recently the counselor for public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine from 2020-2022. Prior to that, Mr. Braunohler was the U.S. consul general in Krakow, Poland from 2015-2018 and the spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to Thailand, Bangkok. He has also served in Sudan, Australia, Iraq and Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the U.S. Naval War College, Mr. Braunohler speaks Thai, Polish and Ukrainian, and is originally from western Michigan.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

Two experts discuss how traditional views of geography can limit our understanding of national security. They advocate for a trans-oceanic perspective, emphasizing maritime connections over land borders. The conversation touches on the complexities of bureaucracy within the Department of Defense and the need for collaborative strategies to address global threats like drug trafficking. The interplay between domestic politics and foreign policy is also explored, highlighting its vital role in shaping a cohesive security strategy.

How do foreign policy decisions get made in Washington? How do individual leaders, organizations, and domestic political processes influence the choices officials make in shaping national security policy? To help professionals make sense of this landscape, The Debrief surveys a range of analytic perspectives that inform these processes with Dr. Jessica Blankshain, associate professor of national security affairs and Foreign Policy Analysis subcourse director at the U.S. Naval War College, as well as coauthor of Decision-Making in American Foreign Policy: Translating Theory into Practice.About the Speaker:Dr. Jessica Blankshain joined the National Security Affairs department in 2014 with a doctorate in political economy & government. She teaches the Leadership Concepts and Policy Analysis sub-courses, as well as electives on Central Challenges of American National Security and Civil-Military Relations. Dr. Blankshain is a former graduate fellow with the Rumsfeld Foundation and a former research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Her research interests include civil-military relations, bureaucratic politics, and organizational economics. She also worked for two years as an associate consultant in the Chicago office of the Boston Consulting Group.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.