Michael Petersen

About Michael Petersen

I have 15+ years of experience providing strategic and operational research and advice at the very highest levels of senior U.S. military leadership, and 20 years of experience in the U.S. Defense Sector. I\'m currently working as a Principal Research Scientist with the Center for Naval Analyses, and previously served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations. My current work encompasses force planning, technology and innovation, risk assessments, strategy making, international alliances, Russia military issues, and operational warfare assessments. I have extensive experience in leadership, strategic advising, collaborative research, analysis, net assessments, military operations research, intelligence analysis, war gaming, and strategy writing. I\'ve worked to help senior military leaders in the U.S. and Europe understand risk and opportunity during discrete events such as the the Russia-Ukraine War and the Syrian Civil War; and more generally in areas such as global naval competition, Arctic shipping, global maritime security, and disruptive technologies.My background is as a Russian military subject matter expert and U.S. intelligence community professional. I\'ve helped intelligence analysts devise novel approaches to wicked problems and understand \"why\" they believe what they do. I\'ve also worked as the Director of the Center for Strategic Intelligence Research in the U.S. Intelligence Community and went on to become the founding Director of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College before moving on to advise the Chief of Naval Operations.

Experience

1. Senior Non-resident Fellow

   Foreign Policy Research Institute

   Jan 2026 — Present

Education

• University of Maryland

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD