Commission Member
Dr. Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and a senior advisor at Macro Advisory Partners. He is the author, co-author, or editor of many books, and, his work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many other outlets. Hal has previously served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Strategic Planning, a member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and lead writer for the Commission on the National Defense Strategy for the United States. Commissioner Brands was appointed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for a term expiring December 31, 2026.