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Dr. Michael Connell is a member of the research staff at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and the Director of CNA’s Iranian Studies Program. His most recent work focuses on Iranian military culture, mil-to-mil engagement strategies, and Iran-GCC relations. Dr. Connell served as CNA’s field representative to the headquarters of US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), Bahrain. Prior to joining CNA, Dr. Connell served as an intelligence officer in the US Army. He earned his PhD in History and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and his BA in Near Eastern Studies from Brandeis University. He also has a certificate in Persian studies from Tehran University.
Iran has two independent naval forces: the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN), whose existence predates Iran’s 1979 Revolution, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), which evolved separately in midst of the Iran-Iraq war (1985).
