Dr. Jonathan Schroden is the Director of CNA’s Countering Threats and
Challenges Program (CTCP), whose mission is to support US government efforts to better understand and counter state and non-state threats and challenges. CTCP includes geographic research portfolios focused on the Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia, Latin America, and North Korea. It also includes functional portfolios focused on counterterrorism, security cooperation, and irregular, proxy, and information warfare.
Dr. Schroden also directs CNA’s Special Operations Program, which focuses on bringing CNA’s “full spectrum” research and analysis capabilities to bear on the most complex and
challenging issues facing special operations forces (SOF) today and in the future.
Dr. Schroden has been with CNA since 2003, during which time he has deployed or traveled 13 times to Afghanistan (twice at the request of the Commander, ISAF and once at the request of the Commander, CSTC-A) and twice to Al Anbar, Iraq; traveled throughout the Middle East; gotten underway with numerous Navy ships; and supported Hurricane Katrina disaster relief operations. Jonathan has served as a strategic advisor to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Multi-National Force – West in Iraq, US Central Command, and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. He also served as CNA’s first interim advisor to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Most recently, Jonathan directed CNA’s independent review of the US Marine Corps’ future force design and the congressionally-mandated independent assessment of special operations force structure. Schroden is also an adjunct professor at George Washington University (where he lectures on US special operations) and he serves as an advisor to Tufts University’s Afghanistan Assumptions Project and to the Global SOF Foundation. Previously, he served as a Senior Advisor to USIP’s Afghanistan Study Group. Schroden holds PhD and MS degrees from Cornell University and BS degrees from the University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD). His decorations include CNA’s Phil E. DePoy Award for Analytic Excellence, the Cornell University Tunis Wentink Award, and induction into UMD’s Academy of Science and Engineering. He has published in peer-reviewed outletssuch as Journal of Strategic Studies, Defense and Security Analysis, Naval War College Review, Sentinel, Armed Forces Journal, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Chemical Physics, and Journal of Physical Chemistry. He has published online in venues such as War on the Rocks, Lawfare, Politico, The Diplomat, Modern War Institute, Real Clear Defense, The National Interest, and Small Wars Journal. He has been a frequent commentator on television (e.g., CNBC, BBC, VOA, TRT World, France 24, Indus News), radio (e.g., BBC NewsHour, NPR’s Morning Edition and Here and Now), podcasts (e.g., Lawfare Live, WarCast, Hidden Forces, PopularFront), and print (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, CNN, The Economist, The Diplomat, Financial Times, Politico, RFE/RL, Stars and Stripes, VOA, Reuters, Associated Press, al-Monitor, Military Times, Yahoo! News). You can follow Jonathan on Twitter
(@jjschroden) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanschroden).