Stephen Tankel

Senior Advisor

Former Director for Defense Policy and Strategy, National Security Council

Stephen Tankel is an Associate Professor in the Department of U.S. Foreign Policy and Global Security at American University. He served as the Director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council staff from 2024-2025, and responsible for U.S. defense industrial strategy, with a focus on defense industrial integration with allies and partners, critical minerals, the maritime industrial base, workforce and supply chain reforms, and U.S. support for the Ukraine and Taiwan defense industrial bases.

Prior to joining the NSC staff, Stephen served as the Coordinator for Policy and Capabilities Modernization in the Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict at the Department of Defense (2023-2024) and Senior Advisor to the Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the State Department (2021-2023). He also previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Majority Staff (2019-2020) and in the Office of Asian and Pacific Security Affairs at the Department of Defense (2014-2015). In addition to his government service, Stephen is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves.

Stephen’s research interests include the intersection of deterrence and defense industrial strategy, military innovation and adaptation, and the role of security cooperation and arms sales in U.S. foreign policy. He has authored two books, published in numerous peer reviewed journals and popular outlets, and conducted field research across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. He received his PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, and a B.S. in Human Ecology from Cornell University.