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 Sullivan
Director

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.

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.

Jeremy Fox
Deputy Director
Lt. Col. Jeremy J. Fox currently serves as the deputy director of the Modern War Institute at West Point and as an instructor within the Defense and Strategic Studies program. He began his career as an infantry officer, deploying with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom IV and VII. He then transitioned to the Signal Corps where he held various command and staff positions in both NETCOM and FORSCOM organizations in the United States and Indo-Pacific region.
Full-Time Staff

Charles Faint
Chair for the Study of Special Operations
Lt. Col. Charles Faint currently serves as staff assistant 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.

Chalie L. Galliand
Operations Officer

Timothy Heck
Deputy Editorial Director

Jarrid Johnson
Senior Enlisted Advisor
Sergeant First Class Jarrid Johnson is the senior enlisted advisor for the Modern War Institute at West Point. He is an instructor for MS200 Fundamentals of Small Unit Operations. SFC Johnson is also the non-commissioned officer-in-charge and dive supervisor for the USMA Maritime Assessment Course for cadets attending Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC).

Joe McGiffin
Plans Officer
Capt. Joe McGiffin commissioned as a logistics officer from the University of Virginia ROTC program in 2014 with a BA in history. As a lieutenant, he served in the 3rd Infantry Division, providing forward sustainment support to various battalion formations through both resupply and maintenance operations.

Frank Sobchak
Chair of Irregular Warfare Studies
Col. (Ret.) Frank Sobchak, PhD, has taught at the US Military Academy at West Point, the Joint Special Operations University, Tufts University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a BS in military history from West Point, a MA in Arab studies from Georgetown University, and a PhD in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

John Spencer
Chair of Urban Warfare Studies
Project Directors

Kyle Atwell
Codirector of the Irregular Warfare Initiative

Elizabeth Buchanan
Codirector of Project 6633
Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan is an Australian polar geopolitics expert and codirector of MWI’s Project 6633. Her research interests include Arctic and Antarctic geopolitics, energy security, Russian grand strategy, and strategic studies more broadly. Dr. Buchanan is Head of Research for the Royal Australian Navy. She was formerly a lecturer of strategic studies for the Defence and Strategic Studies Course at the Australian War College.

Ryan Burke
Codirector of Project 6633

ML Cavanaugh
Codirector of the Shield Notes, 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.

Jahara Matisek
Codirector of the Shield Notes

Shawna Sinnott
Codirector of the Irregular Warfare Initiative

Maggie Smith
Codirector of the Competition in Cyberspace Project, Affiliated Faculty

Matt Baideme
Affiliated Faculty
Lt. Col. Matt Baideme is an engineer officer who has served in command and staff positions in combat mechanized, echelon-above-brigade, and brigade engineer battalion (BEB) engineer formations, with duty in the 1st Armored Division, 555th Engineer Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry).

F. Todd Davidson
Affiliated Faculty
Dr. Todd Davidson is an assistant professor within the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy. Dr. Davidson’s work focuses on the technical, financial, security, and policy challenges related to energy systems, including transportation, energy storage, renewable resources, water, food, and oil and gas.

Ben Elliott
Affiliated Faculty
Maj. Ben Elliott is the course director for MX400 Officership. He is a strategic intelligence officer in the United States Army. Before coming to West Point, he worked as an intelligence officer at United States Indo-Pacific Command in the executive suite for the J2 director as well as in the analytical division

Rose Horswill
Affiliated Faculty

Sam Lowell
Affiliated Faculty
Capt. Sam Lowell is an instructor in the Department of Chemistry and Life Science and teaches the general chemistry course. After earning a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the United States Military Academy in 2014, he commissioned as an aviation officer and earned a post-graduate research scholarship to attend Naval Postgraduate School.

Zhanna L. Malekos Smith
Affiliated Faculty
Zhanna L. Malekos Smith, JD, is a senior associate with the Strategic Technologies Program and the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at West Point. Prior to joining West Point, Malekos Smith was a professor of cyber warfare studies with the US Air War College.

Graham Parsons
Affiliated Faculty
Graham Parsons is associate professor of philosophy in the Department of English and Philosophy. He was previously a fellow at the European University Institute. His work focuses on the history of the philosophy of war and peace, and the intersection of culture and the ethics of war. He is especially interested in the role of gender and race in military ethics.

Rob Person
Affiliated Faculty

Rob Person
Affiliated Faculty

Blake Ritchey
Affiliated Faculty
Blake Ritchey is an instructor and regimental guidance officer in the Department of Physical Education at West Point. He is an engineer officer who recently commanded in the 1st Brigade Combat Team (Bastogne), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Blake focuses on the intersection of human performance optimization, soldier lethality, and national security.