Born with a penchant for both theory and practice, Caitlin Talmadge has become a central figure in contemporary security debates. After graduating summa cum laude in Government from Harvard, she pursued a doctorate in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she later joined the faculty. Today she holds the Raphael Dorman and Helen Starbuck Associate Professorship in Political Science at MIT, a post that intertwines teaching, research, and close collaboration with the institute’s Security Studies Program and the Center for Nuclear Security Policy.
Beyond campus walls, Talmadge serves as a Senior Non-Resident Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution and curates the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs series for Cornell University Press. Her profile rose further when she was appointed to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board from 2023 to 2025, and she previously occupied the prestigious Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy at the Library of Congress in 2022.
Academic appointments and policy roles
The Defense Policy Board role placed Talmadge at the heart of senior-level strategic counsel, allowing her to translate scholarly insight into actionable guidance for U.S. defense planners. Simultaneously, her affiliation with the Brookings Institution offers a platform for policy-oriented research, fostering dialogue between academia, think tanks, and government agencies. These dual tracks illustrate how she bridges the gap between rigorous analysis and real-world decision-making.
Earlier in her career, she contributed as a consultant to the Office of Net Assessment within the Pentagon, and she spent time as a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Teaching stints at George Washington University and Georgetown University preceded her tenure at MIT, cementing a reputation for interdisciplinary instruction on topics ranging from strategic doctrine to regional security dynamics.
Research focus and publications
Talmadge’s scholarship concentrates on three interrelated pillars: nuclear deterrence and escalation U.S. military strategy, and security challenges in Asia and the Persian Gulf. Her 2015 monograph, The Dictator’s Army: Battlefield Effectiveness in Authoritarian Regimes earned the “Best Book in Security” accolade from Foreign Affairs in 2016 and secured the International Security Studies Section’s Best Book Award in 2017. The work remains a cornerstone for scholars studying the operational capacity of non-democratic forces.
She later co-authored the fourth edition of U.S. Defense Politics: The Origins of Security Policy (Routledge, 2021), a textbook that maps the political calculus behind American defense decisions. Currently, she is drafting a new volume with Professor Brendan Green that examines the fragility of nuclear stability during conventional conflicts, a timely contribution amid rising great-power tensions.
Public engagement and media presence
Beyond academia, Talmadge’s analysis appears in leading outlets such as International SecuritySecurity Studies and The Journal of Conflict Resolution. Her op-eds and commentary have reached broader audiences through The New York TimesThe Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She has testified before the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, offering expert insight on bilateral security concerns.
Media appearances span CNNThe Financial TimesThe Economist and The Atlantic where she clarifies complex strategic concepts for public consumption. Readers can follow her latest thoughts on X or Bluesky under the handle @ProfTalmadge, or explore a comprehensive overview of her work at.
