CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast CNA

Law Enforcement officers regularly confront traumatic circumstances that can adversely affect their mental and emotional health. In some cases, this can increase their risk of death by suicide. 
In late 2023, the CNA partnered with First H.E.L.P. to undertake the first comprehensive analysis of its extensive dataset on law enforcement officer deaths by suicide. In this episode, CNA's Jessica Dockstader and First H.E.L.P's Karen Solomon join the show to discuss this report. 
Guest Biographies
Jessica Dockstader is an Associate Research Analyst with CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation. She is an expert in officer wellness with experience in the areas of suicide prevention, emotional wellness support, and substance use. She also supports a Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance-funded research project focused on officer safety and wellness.
Karen Solomon is co-founder of First H.E.L.P. and author of Hearts Beneath the Badge and The Price They Pay. Her focus is the stories of the families who have lost an officer to suicide and the officers who suffer from the feeling that they have nowhere to turn. Karen was a member of the 2018 Officer Safety and Wellness Group Meeting, co-chairing the Data and Research Committee of the National Consortium on Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention, and is currently on the FBI task force to implement the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act.
Further Reading
CNA: Law Enforcement Deaths by Suicide

Over the past 20 years, the People’s Republic of China has invested billions of dollars in African nations. But what impact have these investments had on the continent, and how have things changed in the wake of the dual global shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Tim Ditter joins the show to answer these questions and discuss his research into China’s presence in Africa.
Guest Biographies
Timothy Ditter is a research scientist in CNA’s China Studies Program. His work covers PLA amphibious warfare, China’s military modernization and expansion, China’s growing nuclear weapons program, and China’s nascent global military presence.
Further Reading
CNA: PRC Illicit and Malign Activities in Africa 
CNA: PRC Lending in Africa 

Climate change increases the frequency, severity, and cost of extreme weather events. However, these events are not felt by everyone equally. Existing inequalities in our society exasperate the risks for vulnerable populations.
In this episode, Leola Abrahams and Mark Roberts discuss how extreme weather events impact older adults and Native Americans and how protecting our most vulnerable populations protects everyone. 
Biographies
Leola Abraham is the program manager of CNA’s Center for Vulnerable Population Protection. She focuses on climate change, emergency management, public health, and justice reform. Leola is a senior communications practitioner with over 20 years of professional experience advising federal, state, and local government leaders, nonprofit organizations, and universities to deliver national and global programs and campaigns.
Mark Roberts is a Research Scientist with CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation and an expert in domestic safety and security. He is a certified GIS Professional specializing in geospatial and supply chain analyses. His past work for CNA includes developing and facilitating a hybrid workshop for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine on prioritizing infrastructure resilience along the Gulf of Mexico.
Further Reading
CNA: The Impacts of Extreme Weather on Older Adults

The Russia‑Ukraine war marks the first large‑scale deployment and use of conventional ballistic and cruise missile technology. Because of this, the theater has become a test bed for missile technology and strategy and has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary missile forces and doctrines.   
In this episode, Fabien Hoffman and Gabriela Rosa Hernandez join the show to discuss how both sides have used conventional weapons during the Ukraine War and the war's impact on strategic stability. 
Biographies
Fabian Hoffmann is a Doctoral Research Fellow at the Oslo Nuclear Project (ONP). His research focuses on missile technology, nuclear strategy, and defense policy. His Ph.D. project examines the implications of conventional long-range strike weapons on nuclear strategy.
Gabriela Iveliz Rosa Hernandez is an Associate Research Analyst at the CNA Russia Studies Program. Her research centers on security orders, deterrence issues, and Russia’s security policy, supplemented by her significant in-country experience living in Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and other countries in the region. Her commentary has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and other media.
Further Reading
CNA: Strategic Stability and the Ukraine War Implications of Conventional Missile Technologies

Military operations in the physical domains all depend on the cyber domain. To ensure the success of traditional naval capabilities, the Navy and Marine Corps must project power in and through cyberspace while defending their systems and assets from adversary cyber capabilities. The side that most effectively sequences and synchronizes cyber effects will have a decisive advantage.    
Department of the Navy (DON) Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor Joshua Reiter and CNA’s Ariel Michelman-Ribeiro join the show to discuss the DON Cyber Strategy.
Guest Biographies          
Ariel Michelman-Ribeiro is a Principal Research Scientist in the Cyber, IT Systems, and Networks Program and has been with CNA for 13 years. In addition to directing projects, she is also CNA's Cyber Research Coordinator.
Joshua Reiter is the Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor (PCA) for the Department of the Navy, In this role, he is responsible for supporting the PCA in advising the Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, and Commandant of the Marine Corps, and implementing the Department of Defense Cyber Strategy within the Department of the Navy.
Further Reading
Department of the Navy Cyber Strategy

In an age when the risks of cyberattacks are increasingly clear, the Zero Trust security model, built on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” is the new standard for cyber security. Like many organizations, CNA is working to implement the model throughout our organization. 
Rizwan Jan, CNA’s Chief Information Officer, and cybersecurity expert Adam Monsalve join the show to discuss CNA’s journey to implement Zero Trust, how we can use that experience, and how we have leveraged this experience to better serve our clients and sponsors. 
Biographies 
Rizwan Jan is CNA's Chief Information Officer. He leads our technology and security practices while strengthening information systems. As CIO, he ensures the delivery of all information and technology capabilities required to successfully achieve CNA's mission.
Adam Monsalve is a Systems Engineer at CNA’s Center for Enterprise Systems Modernization. He is a cybersecurity expert who specializes in the intersection of uncrewed technologies and cybersecurity for multiple federal government clients.
Further Reading
NIST: Zero Trust Architecture
CISA: Zero Trust Maturity Model