Defense of Europe Project Researcher

Defense of Europe Project Researcher – Institute for the Study of War

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is seeking a Researcher on the Defense of Europe Project.

As the world continues towitnessthe devastating impact of armed conflict, the need forobjective, real-time, unbiased analysis has never been greater.

When decision-makers need information—from policymakers to humanitarian aid organizations to military leaders on the ground—time and time again, they turn to the Institute for the Study of War.

ISW has a unique, dual mission: to provide real-time intelligence to help leaders make informed decisions in conflict zones around the world and educate the next generation of national security leaders. This work is carried out through the General Jack Keane Center for National Security and the General David H. Petraeus Center for Emerging Leaders.

ISW promotes an understanding of war and conflict by providing data and critical analysis to key American political and military leaders. In addition, ISW seeks to educate civilians about war and conflict, thus bridging the gaps between military and civilian decision-makers. ISW aims to improve how the United States formulates and executes its national security policy. ISW is vigilant at monitoring crises around the world and has a track record of accurately predicting potential and actual conflicts.

ISW provides a proven platform for emerging researchers and analysts to launch their careers in an innovative and highly relevant project.

ISW seeks a talented and self-motivated full-time Researcher to conduct timely and exceptional open-source analysis as part of the Defense of Europe Project. ISW’s new Defense of Europe Project (DEP) aims to reinforce European readiness by informing NATO efforts to develop the capabilities necessary to defeat near-term conventional Russian aggression against Europe. The project will forecast adversary actions, evaluate NATO readiness, and assess U.S. and allied postures to illuminate where deterrence is eroding and where it can be strengthened.

The Researcher will work within the DEP team to publish and verbally present their insights to help identify the risks and opportunities in different policy approaches for U.S., NATO, and Ukrainian policymakers and practitioners. The ideal candidate must be passionate about conducting detail-oriented research and working on a collaborative team to produce timely and actionable insights for policymakers.

• Provide expert analysis on current and potential future Russian and NATO military capabilities by collecting and synthesizing open-source information on political and security developments.
• Work closely with ISW’s Russia Team to synthesize ISW’s ongoing analysis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the Defense of Europe Project’s efforts to forecast the likely character of a future Russian threat to NATO.
• Publish findings through timely written and graphical reports and oral briefings.
• Provide synthetic research support to long-term research projects in collaboration with other team members and programs as required.
• Design and support planning exercises and wargames to create modular scenarios of potential Russian aggression against a NATO member state.
• Coach, mentor, and manage research interns and collaborate with other team members.
• Gain proficiency in data-driven analytic software platforms to support investigations into complex research questions.
• Validate compliance with proper data-handling and storage guidelines.

• A bachelor’s degree in a field of study related to ISW's core mission and research agenda. A master’s degree is preferred.
• 2–5 years of experience conducting open-source research and policy analysis.
• A strong understanding of modern conventional war; the Russian military; and NATO member state militaries, either in an operational context or through research and coursework. A sophisticated understanding of military institutions and military history– particularly 20th and 21st century conventional warfare at the operational level –is a plus.
• Excellent qualitative analytical…