With the Iran war having flared for weeks and still no end to the conflict in sight, increasing attention has turned to the resiliency and effectiveness of regional air and missile defenses — both those operated by the United States as well as its Middle Eastern allies and partners. Continued Iranian targeting of critical infrastructure throughout the Gulf and beyond, combined with the rapid expenditure of highly effective though limited interceptors, raises concerns that the regional air and missile defense enterprise is especially vulnerable. What are the current challenges and concerns related to US, Israeli, and Gulf air defenses? How realistic are the near-term prospects for bolstering these capabilities with more cost-effective or technologically advanced alternatives? And what are the longer-term implications for regional air and missile defenses?
To answer these questions and more, MEI is hosting an expert virtual panel, featuring Dr. Michael O’Hanlon (Brookings Institution) and Dr. Kelly Grieco (Stimson Center). MEI Senior Fellow Dr. Jason Campbell will moderate.
Speaker Biographies
Dr. Kelly Grieco
Senior Fellow, Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program, Stimson Center
Dr. Michael O’Hanlon
Director, Foreign Policy Program, Brookings Institution
Dr. Jason Campbell (Moderator)
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Extended Speaker Biographies
Dr. Kelly Grieco is a Senior Fellow for the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. She has expertise in US military alliances and the security architectures of the Indo-Pacific and Europe, as well as current and emerging airpower strategies and capabilities, including air denial and drone warfare. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University and a Nonresident Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center of the Marine Corps University.
Dr. Michael O’Hanlon is the Director of Research for the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and the inaugural holder of the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy, where he specializes in US defense strategy and budgets, the use of military force, and American national security policy. He is a Senior Fellow and directs the Strobe Talbott Center on Security, Strategy, and Technology. He co-directs the Africa Security Initiative as well.
Dr. Jason Campbell (Moderator) is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. Prior to joining MEI, he was a Senior Policy Researcher at RAND, where his work concentrated on strategic competition, the resourcing of US combatant commands, the evaluation of security cooperation programs, and the future of irregular warfare. From June 2016 through September 2018, he served as country director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy.
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