Dr. Cordesman is the Arleigh A. Burke Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has traveled frequently to Afghanistan and Iraq to consult government agencies on the wars in those countries, and was a member of the Strategic Assessment Group that assisted General Stanley McChrystal in developing a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2009. He frequently acts as a consultant to the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and the intelligence community. Before joining CSIS, Cordesman served as Director of Intelligence Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as Civilian Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served as Director of Policy and Planning for Resource Applications in the Energy Department and as National Security Assistant to Senator John McCain. Cordesman has had numerous government positions across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. He is a widely published author on international security.