Mackenzie Eaglen is a Research Fellow for national security at The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank in Washington, D.C., focused on public policy. She specializes in foreign policy, defense, and military issues. Previously, she was principal defense advisor to U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). She worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well. Prior to Capitol Hill, she worked at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. In 2010, Eaglen served as a staff member of the Congressionally-mandated Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel, a bipartisan blue-ribbon commission established to assess the Pentagon’s major strategy. She has a M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown. Her commentaries have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Armed Forces Journal, Defense News, Army Times, McClatchy-Tribune, The Journal of International Security Affairs, Human Events, and the magazines Proceedings, National Defense, Ripon Society Forum, and Military Technology. She has lectured at the Army War College, National Defense University, American, Georgetown, George Washington, University of Georgia, Indiana, and Hofstra.