Theo Milonopoulos, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor National Security Affairs
Theo Milonopoulus faculty photo

Biography

Theo Milonopoulos, Ph.D., researches decision making, civil-military relations and emerging technologies. His work has been supported by the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Clements Center for National Security. He has held positions at the RAND Corporation, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Center for New American Security, the Center for International Security and Cooperation, and the Hoover Institution, where he was a lead research assistant to Condoleezza Rice. A graduate of Stanford University, he earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University and M.A. at King's College London, where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar.

Areas of Expertise

  • Civil-Military Relations
  • Deterrence
  • Foreign Policy
  • GWOT
  • International Relations
  • Military Technology
  • National Security
  • Nuclear
  • Vietnam War

Professional Highlights

2022

Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs

Tenure-track appointment as assistant professor in the U.S. Naval War College's National Security Affairs Department.
2021

Postdoctoral Fellow, Perry World House

Postdoctoral fellowship in Global Order program at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House.
2019

Predoctoral Fellow, Clements Center for National Security

Predoctoral fellowship supported by the America in the World consortium at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin.
2018

Summer Associate, RAND Corporation

Conducted research on military logistics and combat support in denied environments at the RAND Corporation's Washington office.
2011

Research Assistant to Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Served as a lead research assistant for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as she wrote her memoirs at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

Education

Ph.D., Columbia University, Political Science

M.A., King's College London, War Studies, with Distinction

B.A., Stanford University, Political Science, with Honors

C.V. or Resume

Research Contributions and Publications

“Boots on the Ground, Eyes in the Sky: How Commercial Satellites are Upending Conflict”
Co-authored with Erik Lin-Greenberg
Foreign Affairs Online, 2022

“Private Eyes in the Sky: Emerging Technology and the Political Consequences of Eroding Government Secrecy”
Co-authored with Erik Lin-Greenberg
Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2021

“Annotating Without Anxiety: Achieving Adaptability, Accessibility, and Accountability Through ATI”
PS: Political Science & Politics, 2021

“Private Eyes in the Sky: How Commercial Satellites Are Transforming Intelligence”
Co-authored with Erik Lin-Greenberg
Foreign Affairs Online, 2021

“Commercial Satellites – Not U.S. Intelligence – Revealed China’s Missile Program”
Co-authored with Erik Lin-Greenberg
The Washington Post, "The Monkey Cage," 2021

“How Close Did the United States Actually Get to Using Nuclear Weapons in Vietnam in 1968?”
War on the Rocks, 2018

“Clausewitz as ‘The Last Jedi’? Culminating Points of Victory, Civil-Military Relations, and Strategy in Star Wars”
War on the Rocks, 2017

Awards and Decorations

Smith Richardson Foundation World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship
2019-2021

International Policy Scholars Consortium and Network (IPSCON) Junior Scholar
2020-2021

Columbia Experimental Laboratory in the Social Sciences (with Erik Lin-Greenberg)
2019

LBJ Foundation Moody Research Grant
2018

Eisenhower Foundation Library Travel Grant
2018

Charles Koch Foundation Dissertation Grant
2018

Columbia Global Policy Initiative Graduate Research Award
2017

Simon O’Dwyer Russell Prize
Department of War Studies, King’s College London
2012

J. William Fulbright Scholarship for Study in the United Kingdom
2011-2012

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