Mara E Karlin

Mara E. Karlin, PhD, is currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. In that role, she advises the Secretary of Defense on defense policies relating to the Middle East, Europe (including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Russia, Eurasia, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Prior to taking on this role, she served on the policy team for the Biden-Harris Transition. Karlin was Director of Strategic Studies and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Previously, she served in national security roles for five U.S. secretaries of defense, advising on policies spanning strategic planning, defense policy and budgeting, future conflicts, and regional security affairs. She started her government career as a civil servant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and has received the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award. She is the author of two books on defense policy and military history. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Karlin holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.