CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast CNA

Climate change is a complex and multifaceted problem that no actor can address alone. How can governments understand the impact of various actors in their jurisdiction and ensure that solutions are rolled out effectively and sustainably?
Dawn Thomas joins the show to discuss her work using ecosystem models to examine New Orleans’ efforts to tackle climate change.
Guest Biography
Dawn Thomas is a co-director of the Center for Emergency Management and Operations and director of the Center for Critical Incident Analysis. She is an expert in large-scale incident planning and response. She has worked on a large array of emergency preparedness issues, helping federal, regional, state and local agencies prepare for and respond to biological attacks, active shooters, large-scale evacuations, medical evacuations, earthquakes and tsunamis, mass casualty chemical incidents, public health outbreaks and cyberattacks.

The United States Navy is the most powerful naval force on earth, able to project power in every corner of the globe, but this mighty forces has humble beginings. 
Just in time for Independence Day, Steve Wills, joins the show to discuss the Continetial Navy’s role in the American Revolution and how its legacy is reflected in the modern day US Navy. 
Biographies
Steven Wills is an expert in U.S. Navy strategy and policy, and U.S. Navy surface warfare programs and platforms. As a Navy historian, his research interests include the history of U.S. Navy strategy development over the Cold War and immediate post-Cold War eras, and the post-World War II Navy surface fleet. He is also the Navalist for the Center for Maritime Strategy at the Navy League.
 

In this special Pride Month episode of CNA Talks, three members of CNA’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, Pride @ CNA, join the show! They discuss their experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community at CNA and research that CNA is exploring on interactions between community members and law enforcement.
Biographies
Dr. L. Cait Kanewske (they/them) is a Research Scientist with CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation. Cait research interests include mental health-related interventions in the criminal justice system, juvenile justice, evidence-based policing in small, rural, and tribal jurisdictions, and the experiences of LGBTQ individuals in the criminal justice system. Cait serves as a principal investigator, project manager, and analyst on several federally funded research and training and technical assistance (TTA) projects related to policing and corrections.
Allie Land (she/her) is a Research Analyst with CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation. Her research interests include police technology (including body-worn cameras), organizational reform, and the experiences of LGBTQ individuals in the criminal justice system. Allie serves as an analyst and deputy program manager on several federally funded research and training and technical assistance (TTA) projects related to policing and corrections.
Mel Royer (they/them) is a User Computing Administrator in the Cloud Solutions Division. They provide tier 3 technical support and are system administrators for three networks. Mel is also involved in modernizing CNA's cloud footprint, and they are certified in both Azure and Amazon Web Service environments. They have been with CNA for three years and have been the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group lead for two years.
 
Content Warning Markers
10:15-20:00: State Violence, Suicide, Self-Harm, Sexual Assault.
20:00-23:45: State/Legal Discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals

The Russian Federation is an example of a large authoritarian state whose military is subordinate to its civil government. But since the onset of the War in Ukraine, tensions have been growing between civilian and military leaders.
In this episode, Julian Waller joins John to discuss the current state of civil-military relations in Russia’s government and how the Wagner Group rebellion fits into this puzzle.
Biography
Julian G. Waller is a Research Analyst with CNA’s Russia Studies Program. He is an expert in the politics of authoritarian regimes in post-Soviet Eurasia and Europe, focusing on Russian and Ukrainian domestic political institutions and their relation to political-military issues.
Further Reading
CNA: Russian Military Logistics in the Ukraine War

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