James Carafano

James Jay Carafano is Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, where he directs the team of experts in foreign and defense policy. A 25-year Army veteran, he joined Heritage in 2003 and has since played a leading role in shaping national security and foreign policy research.

An accomplished historian, teacher, and author, Carafano has written extensively on military history, homeland security, and the future of warfare. His works include Brutal War (2021), Wiki at War (2012), and the widely used textbook Homeland Security (McGraw-Hill, 3rd ed. 2019). He has testified before Congress, spoken at major forums like SXSW, and served on advisory councils for the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to his policy leadership, he has taught at West Point, Georgetown, Hillsdale, and the Naval War College, and his commentary frequently appears in major media outlets worldwide. Carafano is a graduate of West Point and holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University, as well as a master’s degree in strategy from the U.S. Army War College.