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my research

My research focuses on contingency contracting activities
in support of U.S. security force assistance efforts

I am a fourth year PhD candidate at King's College London's Defence Studies Department, studying under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Kinsey.  My dissertation focus is as follows:
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“Principal-Agent Problems: USG Use of Contractors to Deliver Security Force Assistance”
Although private contracting firms contribute to building partner military capacity and are a useful foreign policy tool, the impact that these non-state actors have must be taken into consideration to avoid weakening the perception of the sponsoring (in this case, the United States’) government’s legitimacy.  Therefore, the question must be asked, “Why does the USG often turn to private firms and individuals in order to deliver training and advisory services to build the capacity of partner militaries, rather than relying on its own military personnel?”
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Summary articles:

• Boots Off the Ground: The Use of Contractors to Train Foreign Militaries by the U.S. Government (Defence in Depth)
• Well Behaved Defense Contractors Seldom Make History (War on the Rocks)

​​​I am also a co-founder/ administrator of KCL's Forum for Private Security Research and a Researcher for the Centre for Military Ethics.  

​Research Interests

​- Contingency Contracting                       - Peace Support/Stabilization                    - Public Education and National Security
- Civil-Military Relations                            - Security Sector Reform                            - Professional Military Education
- Military and Society                                - U.S. Defense and Foreign Policy