Richard Bennet is a senior research associate at the Center for International and Security Studies (CISSM). He is a subject matter expert on strategic competition and a leading voice in developing approaches that evaluate the effectiveness of national security and defense activities. Bennet has coordinated assessments and program evaluation at multiple U.S. combatant commands, advising operations and conducting security cooperation with key allies and partners.
He has been a global fellow at the Wilson Center and has held research positions at Princeton University, the Council on Foreign Relations, and in an adjunct capacity for the RAND Corporation. His fieldwork has included research in Somalia, Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt, South Africa, Georgia, Kosovo, Nigeria, Colombia, Kenya and the southern Philippines and his writing on national security topics has appeared in a variety of publications.
Bennet is the author of the forthcoming book "War at Arm's Length: How America Can Build Effective Partners Through Military Assistance" (Yale University Press, June 2026). He holds a PhD and a master’s degree from the Department of War Studies at King's College London and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.