CNAS Welcomes Cara Abercrombie to Defense Program as Adjunct Senior Fellow

Washington, March 19, 2026 - The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Defense Program is pleased to welcome the Honorable Cara Abercrombie as an adjunct senior fellow. Abercrombie served for more than two decades in the Department of Defense as a civil servant, including senior-level appointments as the assistant secretary of defense for acquisition and the deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia. She also served as the acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy.

In a new essay for The New American Industrial Base series, Abercrombie argues that the United States and its allies should seek out ways to pool resources and combine efforts to create a shared defense industrial base. She argues that creating mutually reinforcing industrial connections will act as a powerful deterrent to would-be adversaries. You can read her essay and all prior essays in the series here.

"Cara's leadership experience in the Pentagon will greatly enhance our program's continued focus on delivering actionable policy recommendations," said Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Defense Program. "Her impressive record of expertise on critical security issues will be of immediate value as we work on the most vexing defense problems facing the United States today."

Abercrombie is currently a senior advisor with The Cohen Group. In addition to her roles in the Pentagon, Abercrombie has served as deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for defense policy and arms control at the White House National Security Council. At the Department of Defense, Abercrombie worked to advance U.S. relations with partners across the Indo-Pacific, strengthening alliances and initiating groundbreaking defense cooperation with India. In addition to her work on South and Southeast Asia, she served as the principal director for the department's East Asia policy.

Abercrombie joins a CNAS Defense Program that continues to deliver timely research on the most pressing issues facing the Department of Defense and global allies. In addition to the ongoing commentary series on revitalizing America's defense industrial base, recent Defense Program research has included analysis of the defense budgeting process and a report on countering uncrewed aerial systems.

Read Abercrombie's full bio here.