Adam Klein Named New CNAS Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) announced today that Adam Klein, formerly a CNAS Senior Fellow, has been named the CNAS Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow. The Center established the fellowship in honor of Secretary Gates’s commitment to public service and bipartisan solutions to the nation’s key national security challenges. The fellowship is awarded to a highly qualified Republican policy expert who “demonstrates extraordinary potential, a commitment to service, and the professionalism and integrity exemplified by Secretary Gates.”

As the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow, Klein will continue to focus on the intersection of national security policy and law, including government surveillance in the digital age, counterterrorism, and the rules governing the use of military force.

Klein succeeds Elbridge Colby, who left CNAS to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development.

“We are delighted that Adam will serve as the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow,” said CNAS President Richard Fontaine. “He combines a deep intellect, vast knowledge of law and policy, and a dedication to public service. He has conducted path-breaking research at CNAS and is known for his innovative and pragmatic work. We look forward to his continuing contributions to national security.”

Secretary Gates welcomed the appointment, saying, “I’m very pleased that Adam Klein has assumed the fellowship established in my name. Adam has already made his mark in the national security world and has remarkable potential to do more. I welcome the opportunity to support his work.”

Klein said, “I am honored to have received the Robert M. Gates Fellowship. I have enormous respect for Secretary Gates and what he has accomplished. I will strive to uphold that legacy in my work at CNAS.”

Before joining CNAS, Klein served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He was also a Senior Associate at WilmerHale, an international law firm. Klein has worked on national security policy at the RAND Corporation and the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, the non-profit successor to the 9/11 Commission. He began his career as a legislative assistant in the office of Representative C.W. “Bill” Young (R-FL).

Klein received his BA from Northwestern University and his JD from Columbia Law School. He is a former Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and Robert Bosch Fellow in Berlin.

For more information, please contact Neal Urwitz at nurwitz@cnas.org or call
202-457-9409.