Lisa Curtis
Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program
Lisa Curtis is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). With over 20 years of experience in the U.S. government—including roles at the National Security Council (NSC), CIA, State Department, and Capitol Hill—she is a leading expert on U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and South Asia. Her work focuses on U.S.-India strategic relations, Quad cooperation among the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, and counterterrorism strategies in South and Central Asia.
From 2017 to 2021, Curtis served as Deputy Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for South and Central Asia. She was instrumental in elevating U.S.-India defence and diplomatic partnerships and expanding Quad security cooperation. Curtis contributed significantly to the U.S. South Asia Strategy and the Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework.
She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Indiana University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program
Lisa Curtis is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). With over 20 years of experience in the U.S. government—including roles at the National Security Council (NSC), CIA, State Department, and Capitol Hill—she is a leading expert on U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and South Asia. Her work focuses on U.S.-India strategic relations, Quad cooperation among the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, and counterterrorism strategies in South and Central Asia.
From 2017 to 2021, Curtis served as Deputy Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for South and Central Asia. She was instrumental in elevating U.S.-India defence and diplomatic partnerships and expanding Quad security cooperation. Curtis contributed significantly to the U.S. South Asia Strategy and the Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework.
She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Indiana University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.