Dr. Tomlinson is an Associate Professor in the National Security Affairs (NSA) department of the Naval War College at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He received his BA from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He holds Masters Degrees from Golden Gate University, San Francisco in Public Administration, and California State University, Northridge in Modern Middle Eastern History and a PhD in Modern Middle Eastern History and National Security Policy from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California. His area of study is Shi`a representation in Lebanon.