Colin Kahl

Colin Kahl is one of America’s foremost voices on national security, defence strategy and global geopolitical risk.

He is currently the Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), where he also directs the Program on Geopolitics, Technology and Governance. His work examines how advances such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and cyber capabilities are reshaping global power and creating new policy challenges.

Previously, Kahl served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon’s most senior civilian role for defence policy. As principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense, he helped shape US national security strategy during one of the most consequential periods in modern geopolitics. He led the development of the 2022 National Defense Strategy, which repositioned American defence priorities around long-term strategic competition with China while strengthening deterrence against emerging threats.

His tenure coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where he helped coordinate the Pentagon’s policy response and strengthen international security cooperation. He also played a key role in reinforcing NATO, negotiating the AUKUS security partnership, and expanding defence ties across the Indo-Pacific. For his public service, Kahl received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department’s highest civilian honour.

Colin Kahl previously served as Deputy Assistant to President Barack Obama and National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, advising on US foreign policy and national security while representing the Office of the Vice President on the National Security Council Deputies’ Committee.

From 2009 – 2011, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, he oversaw defence policy across the region, covering Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the wider Gulf.

A respected author and commentator, Colin Kahl has written extensively on defence policy, international security and global affairs. He is the co-author of Aftershocks, which examines how the pandemic accelerated geopolitical change and transformed the global balance of power.