Leadership
Hon. Mark T. Esper
Distinguished Chair
Dr. Mark T. Esper served as United States secretary of defense from July 2019 to November 2020. From November 2017 to June 2019, he served as secretary of the Army. He is currently the Distinguished Chair of the Modern War Institute at West Point.
Patrick Howell
Director
Col. Patrick Howell is the Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. A career Engineer and Strategic/Operational Planner, he has deployed in support of combat operations to Afghanistan, Iraq, and East Africa.
Charles Faint
Deputy Director
Lt. Col. Charles Faint currently serves as Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point and as an Assistant Professor, teaching Comparative Defense Policy. A military intelligence officer, he holds five undergraduate and graduate degrees, the most recent of which is from Yale University. Published in a number of blogs and professional journals, Lt. Col. Faint is also the coauthor of Violence of Action: The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror.
Full-Time Staff
John Amble
Editorial Director
John Amble is the editorial director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. He is a military intelligence officer in the US Army Reserve and a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. He writes on terrorism, intelligence, the military, and the Middle East.
Jeff Bender
Operations Officer
Capt. Jeff Bender is the Operations Officer of the Modern War Institute. He also serves as an instructor of DS350 Persuasive Communication.
Timothy Heck
Deputy Editorial Director
Max Margulies
Director of Research
Dr. Max Margulies is the Director of Research and an Assistant Professor at the Modern War Institute at West Point. He also serves as the course director for the thesis and capstone programs in West Point’s Defense and Strategic Studies program. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Political Science from Columbia University, and a BA in Political Science (Honors) from McGill University.
Donald Patton
NCOIC
Sgt. 1st Class Donald Patton currently serves as the NCOIC of the Modern War Institute. He is also the NCOIC of the Irregular Warfare Group club and an officer representative with the wrestling team and the dive club.
Matt Schardt
Executive Officer
Maj. Matt Schardt serves as the Executive Officer of the Modern War Institute and teaches DS455 Comparative Defense Policy.
Scott Woodbrey
Air Force Liaison Officer
Lt. Col. Scott Woodbrey is the Air Force Liaison Officer to the United States Military Academy at West Point and teaches DS485, Sea and Air Power.
John Spencer
Chair of Urban Warfare Studies
Maj. (ret) John W. Spencer is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and Co-Director of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project.
Senior Fellows
Max Brooks
Senior Fellow
Max Brooks is the best-selling author of The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, among other books. An advocate of challenging old ways of thinking and encourage mental agility and flexibility for problem solvers and leaders, he is frequently sought out to speak to audiences across the defense and national security community.
ML Cavanaugh
Senior Fellow
Matt Cavanaugh is an active duty US Army strategist with global experience and assignments ranging from the Pentagon to Korea and West Point to the Middle East. He earned his master’s degree at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand and his PhD under Professor Emeritus Colin Gray at the University of Reading (UK). His writings have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, among other outlets.
Nancy Collins
Senior Fellow
Nancy Collins is a senior fellow of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Collins writes about US defense, national security, and military technology. She is the chair of the Columbia Seminar on Defense and Security. Her essays and commentaries have appeared in a range of media outlets, including Forbes, the New York Times, TIME, US News and World Report, and the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of Grey Wars (Yale University Press, 2021).
Steve Leonard
Senior Fellow
Steve Leonard joined the University of Kansas School of Business as the Director of the graduate program in Business and Organizational Leadership following a twenty-eight-year career in the US Army. He is a former senior military strategist and the creative force behind Doctrine Man!! He is also the co-founder of Divergent Options, a founding member of the Military Writers Guild, and a frequent contributor to the Atlantic Council’s Art of Future Warfare Project.