KYLE ATWELL
Washington,,D.C.
Summary
Accomplished national security leader with expertise in strategic planning, research and analysis, and organizational leadership. Leader and team builder, having led some of the most elite units within the U.S. military in highly challenging and uncertain environments. Track record of success in building new programs and organizations, both within the military and as a national security non-profit entrepreneur/founder. Deep strategic thinking and analytical skills, refined through doctoral research on warfare and public affairs, teaching undergraduate courses on international relations, and publishing research papers on national security strategy. I have extensive experience working with senior leaders and have built diverse networks across national security sectors, including among practitioners, policymakers, the research base, and the defense and innovation private sector.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army
United States Army
05.2025 - Current
- Hand-selected by the senior military leader of the U.S. Army (responsible for more than 1.2 million employees) to build and lead a new enterprise-level program.
- Work and communicate directly with the senior leaders of the United States Army daily.
- Responsible for strategic planning, personnel and financial requirements, recruiting and managing a team of over 70 military and civilian employees across the country, assessing and mitigating programmatic risk, and communicating program objectives and progress to senior Army leaders.
Co-founder & Chairman of the Board
Irregular Warfare Initiative
11.2019 - Current
- Identified a market gap and created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit linking scholars, policymakers, and practitioners of irregular warfare globally.
- Built a network of 40,000 national security experts from different sectors, to include researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and private sector actors.
- Created a strategic plan and executed it to transition from a team of three podcasters to a multinational team of eighty volunteers who run eight different programs; built and now serve as Chair of the Board of Directors.
- Strategic communication skills include creating and hosting a top 1% podcast that features a senior national security leader and scholar in every episode, with over 1.5 million downloads to date.
- Raised more than $200,000 in donor funds, prioritized and managed its allocation to drive organizational growth.
- Established myself as a thought leader and network builder within the irregular warfare and special operations communities, regularly requested to speak at international conferences.
Special Forces Officer
United States Army Special Forces
05.2014 - Current
- Leader within the U.S. Army Special Forces, one of the most selective and elite units in the U.S. military.
- Led elite teams of Special Forces troops in volatile, highly unpredictable conflict environments, including in North and West Africa, the Korean Penninsula, and Eastern Europe.
- Extensive training and experience building interpersonal relationships and communicating with individuals from across sectors, ranging from foreign national Chiefs of Defense and senior military leaders, to U.S. interagency actors and Ambassadors, to criminals and warlords.
- Created the strategic vision, oversaw the operational employment, managed the leadership development plan, and oversaw execution of a $20 million budget for a 300-person organization responsible for sensitive and complex military operations in nine countries.
- Consistent record of top performance, to include selection as the Honor Graduate of my Special Forces Qualification Course and consistently receiving annual evaluations as #1 among peers at multiple echelons of leadership.
Assistant Professor, International Affairs
United States Military Academy at West Point
06.2021 - 06.2023
- Taught undergraduate courses on international relations theory and national security strategy, civil war theory, and deterrence theory.
- Mentored and coached over 200 junior military officers as they prepared to take leadership roles within the Army.
- Conducted research and advised U.S. Strategic Command on approaches to deter U.S. adversaries during strategic competition between great powers.
- Created and hosted the Social Science of War Podcast, a new podcast featuring senior U.S. Army leaders and scholars focused on the most pressing national security challenges for the Army.
Military Advisor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
United States Department of State
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Conducted research and analysis on peacekeeping operations to prepare U.S. delegation positions for UN General Assembly and other multinational meetings.
Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer
United States Army
05.2008 - 05.2014
- Led teams of 31 to 131 U.S. soldiers through 20-months of high stress combat operations in Afghanistan. Responsible for tactical employment, leadership development, and managing $4 million of equipment.
- Built interpersonal and working relationships with various actors, to include Afghan troops and political leaders, multinational troops, and interagency partners.
- Responsible for financial planning and organizational leadership of four subordinate units.
- Finisher in the Best Ranger Competition, one of the most prestigious and challenging competitions in the U.S. military.
Intern
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
03.2008 - 09.2008
- Speechwriter and projects intern for the Assistant Secretary General of Defense Investment on the NATO International Staff in Belgium.
- Research and analysis on multinational military capability programs for leaders within the department.
Legislative Field Representative
California State Assembly
01.2007 - 01.2008
- Represented a California politician at local political events, building experience in local governance and public affairs.
Research Assistant
Center for Arms Control and NonProliferation
08.2005 - 12.2005
- Intern at a DC-based think tank and lobbyist focused on informing members of the U.S. Congress on legislation relating to weapons of mass destruction and other national security issues.
Education
Ph.D. - Public Affairs
Princeton University
03-2025
Master of Arts - Public Affairs
Princeton University
05-2021
Bachelor of Arts - Economics (Highest Honors)
University of California, Davis
12-2006
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations (Honors)
University of California, Davis
12-2006
Skills
- Research and data analysis
- National security and military expertise
- Operational, financial, and political risk mitigation
- Project management
- Strategic and executive communication
- Strategic planning and decision-making
- Navigating uncertainty
- Building systems and processes that maximize organizational efficiency and growth
- TS/SCI Security Clearance
- 3/3 French Language (professional proficiency)
Affiliations
- Atlantic Council, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategic and Security, 01/01/21-Present
- Council on Foreign Relations, Term Member, 01/01/21-Present
- American Political Science Association, Member, 01/01/20-Present
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Brimley Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellow, 01/01/20-01/01/21
- Princeton Center for International Security Studies, Fellow, 01/01/19-01/01/21
- Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Brussels Branch Founder and Executive Director, 01/01/08-01/01/09
Publications
- Unconventional Warfare on the Conventional Battlefield - Military Review
- Into the Void: Special Operations Forces after the War on Terror - Hurst - Book Foreword
- Irregular Warfare in Strategic Competition - Defence Studies: Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
- Causal Logics of Proxy Warfare - Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars - Book Chapter
- Networks of Influence and Action: Collaboration in the Lake Chad Basin - Warrior Diplomats: Civil Affairs Forces on the Front Lines - Book Chapter
- Wanna Fight? Pushing Partners Aside in Afghanistan - War on the Rocks
- Negotiating [Im]plausible Deniability: Strategic Guidelines for U.S. Engagement in Modern Indirect Warfare - PRISM, National Defense University
- Great-Power Competition Is Coming to Africa: The United States Needs to Think Regionally to Win - Foreign Affairs
Timeline
Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army
United States Army
05.2025 - Current
Assistant Professor, International Affairs
United States Military Academy at West Point
06.2021 - 06.2023
Military Advisor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
United States Department of State
01.2020 - 01.2021
Co-founder & Chairman of the Board
Irregular Warfare Initiative
11.2019 - Current
Special Forces Officer
United States Army Special Forces
05.2014 - Current
Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer
United States Army
05.2008 - 05.2014
Intern
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
03.2008 - 09.2008
Legislative Field Representative
California State Assembly
01.2007 - 01.2008
Research Assistant
Center for Arms Control and NonProliferation
08.2005 - 12.2005
Ph.D. - Public Affairs
Princeton University
Master of Arts - Public Affairs
Princeton University
Bachelor of Arts - Economics (Highest Honors)
University of California, Davis
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations (Honors)
University of California, Davis
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