Paul Benfield

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Robert Ashley, Jr. (Ret.)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/christian-beckner">Christian Beckner</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/samuel-bendett">Samuel Bendett</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/paul-benfield">Paul Benfield</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/rachel-brandenburg">Rachel Brandenburg</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/dr-jonathan-brewer">Dr. Jonathan Brewer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/josh-campbell">Josh Campbell</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/pablo-chavez">Pablo Chavez</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/richard-connolly">Richard Connolly</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/john-costello">John Costello</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/eitan-danon">Eitan Danon</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/richard-j-danzig">Richard J. Danzig</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/jason-dempsey">Jason Dempsey</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/yaya-j-fanusie">Yaya J. Fanusie</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/ryan-fedasiuk">Ryan Fedasiuk</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/david-feith">David Feith</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/edward-fishman-1">Edward Fishman</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/tim-fist">Tim Fist</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/greg-grant">Greg Grant</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/dr-erik-lin-greenberg">Dr. Erik Lin-Greenberg</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/michael-greenwald">Michael Greenwald</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/hamzeh-hadad">Hamzeh Hadad</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/hon-robert-f-hale">Hon. Robert F. Hale</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/heli-hautala">Heli Hautala</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/franz-stefan-gady">Franz-Stefan Gady</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/jeannette-gaudry-haynie">Dr. Jeannette Gaudry Haynie</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/jacob-helberg">Jacob Helberg</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/michelle-holko-phd-pmp">Michelle Holko, PhD, PMP</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/john-hughes">John Hughes</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/kyleanne-hunter">Dr. Kyleanne Hunter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/ltg-anthony-r-tony-ierardi-usa-ret">LTG Anthony R. "Tony" Ierardi, USA (Ret.)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/akira-igata">Akira Igata</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/elsa-b-kania">Elsa B. Kania</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/robert-kaplan">Robert D. Kaplan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/duyeon-kim">Dr. Duyeon Kim</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/christopher-d-kolenda">Christopher D. Kolenda</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/margarita-rita-konaev">Margarita "Rita" Konaev</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/steven-kosiak">Steven Kosiak</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/dr-andrew-f-krepinevich-jr">Dr. Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/thomas-krueger">Thomas Krueger</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/peter-l-levin">Peter L. 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Defense Program</p> <p class="dark medium margin-top-half-em">Director of Emerging Technologies, Pallas Advisors</p> <ul class="profile-meta"> <li> <span class="sprite -email "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#email"></use> </svg> </span> <span>Press: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88ebe7e5e5fbc8ebe6e9fba6e7faef">[email protected]</a></span> </li> <li> <span class="sprite -camera "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#camera"></use> </svg> </span> <a href="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/portraits/Paul-Benfield-Full-Thumb.jpg">View High-res Photo</a> </li> </ul> <p class="overlap-label margin-top"> <span class="overlap-label__underline">Research Areas</span> </p> <ul class="category-list-columns"> <li> <a href="https://www.cnas.org/research/defense"> Defense <span class="chevron -right -gray"></span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="wysiwyg margin-vertical"> <p>Paul Benfield is an Adjunct Senior Fellow for the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. He is also the Director of Emerging Technologies at Pallas Advisors, a strategic consulting firm focused on national and economic security. Prior to joining the private sector, he served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army in various Airborne, Special Operations, and Infantry units. Paul enlisted in the Army in October 1997. He served in Korea and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (I and III) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (I) before attending Officer Candidate School in 2005. He graduated as the Distinguished Academic Graduate, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry in September 2005. Additional operational deployments included tours with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad, Iraq in support of the ‘Surge’ from January 2007 to March 2008 and with the 3rd Infantry Division where he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2010 to conduct Advise and Assist Operations. In May of 2013, he received the Douglas MacArthur Leadership award for leadership excellence. Paul's final assignment was as a Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. His portfolio included Department of Defense innovation and modernization priorities focusing on incorporating emerging technology into innovative and transformative operational concepts.Paul holds an M.A. in Policy Management from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Political Science from Campbell University.</p> </div> <p class="center"><a href="https://cnas.secure.force.com/donate" class="button -solid">Support CNAS</a></p> </div> <section class="publications-block wrapper -extra-large margin-vertical-2x"> <h2 class="section-title -custom -related margin-bottom-half-em"> <span class="custom-text"> <span>Recent</span> Publications & News </span> </h2> <div class="wrapper -custom"> <ul class="entry-listing"> <li class="-with-image"> <div class="labeled-image"> <a href="https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/improving-joint-operational-concept" aria-label="Improving Joint Operational Concept Development within the U.S. Department of Defense - image link"> <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" srcset=" https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/hero/_165x110_crop_center-center_none/Joint-Warfighting-hero-art-v2.jpg 165w, https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/hero/_285x190_crop_center-center_none/Joint-Warfighting-hero-art-v2.jpg 285w, https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/hero/_400x267_crop_center-center_none/Joint-Warfighting-hero-art-v2.jpg 400w" sizes="(min-width: 600px) 285px, (min-width: 430px) 400px, calc(100vw - 30px)" width="400" height="267" class="desaturate" alt=""> </a> <span class="label">Reports</span> </div> <ul class="entry-listing__meta"> <li>October 21, 2021</li> </ul> <a href="https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/improving-joint-operational-concept" class="sans-serif fz16 bold margin-top-half-em">Improving Joint Operational Concept Development within the U.S. Department of Defense</a> <p class="fz15 margin-top-1em"> <span class="screenreader-only">By</span> Paul Benfield & Greg Grant </p> </li> </ul> <p class="margin-top-1em"> <a href="/reports?author=paul-benfield" class="button">View All Reports <span class="screenreader-only">by Paul Benfield</span></a> <a href="/articles-multimedia?author=paul-benfield" class="button">View All Articles & Multimedia <span class="screenreader-only">by Paul Benfield</span></a> </p> </div> </section> </main> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer__inner"> <dl class="footer__contact-info"> <dt class="screenreader-only">Address:</dt> <dd> <span class="sprite -pin "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#pin"></use> </svg> </span> <span> Center for a New American Security<br> 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW<br> Suite 700<br> Washington, DC 20006 </span> </dd> <dt class="screenreader-only">Phone:</dt> <dd> <span class="sprite -phone "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#phone"></use> </svg> </span> <span>(202) 457-9400</span> </dd> <dt class="screenreader-only">Email:</dt> <dd> <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ef7f0f8f1defdf0ffedb0f1ecf9"> <span class="sprite -email "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#email"></use> </svg> </span> <span><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4b22252d240b28252a386524392c">[email protected]</span></span> </a> </dd> </dl> <ul class="footer__social-nav"> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/cnasdc"> <span class="sprite -twitter "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#twitter"></use> </svg> </span> <span>Twitter</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-a-new-american-security/"> <span class="sprite -linkedin "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#linkedin"></use> </svg> </span> <span>LinkedIn</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CNASdc"> <span class="sprite -youtube "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#youtube"></use> </svg> </span> <span>YouTube</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://instagram.com/cnasdc"> <span class="sprite -instagram "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#instagram"></use> </svg> </span> <span>Instagram</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CNASdc"> <span class="sprite -facebook "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#facebook"></use> </svg> </span> <span>Facebook</span> </a> </li> </ul> <ul class="footer__supplementary-nav"> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/mission">About</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/events">Events</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/careers/internships">Internships</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/careers">Careers</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/support-cnas">Support CNAS</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/join">Subscribe</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/press">Press</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cnas.org/contact">Contact</a></li> </ul> <p class="footer__copyright"> © 2024 Center for a New American Security. </p> </div> <div class="return-top"> <a href="#top" title="Return to top"> <img class="return-top-icon" alt="Return to top" src="/assets/images/return-top-white.png"> </a> </div> </footer> <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script src="https://www.cnas.org/assets/javascripts/app-83c83bd3c129aa526fb9.js"></script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"http://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","author":{"@id":"#identity"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"#identity"},"copyrightYear":"2020","creator":{"@id":"#creator"},"dateCreated":"2020-07-10T13:59:40-04:00","dateModified":"2020-07-15T17:26:48-04:00","datePublished":"2020-07-13T00:00:00-04:00","description":"Paul Benfield is an Adjunct Senior Fellow for the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. He is also the Director of Emerging Technologies at Pallas Advisors, a strategic consulting firm focused on national and economic security. Prior to joining the private sector, he served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army in various Airborne, Special Operations, and Infantry units. Paul enlisted in the Army in October 1997. He served in Korea and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (I and III) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (I) before attending Officer Candidate School in 2005. He graduated as the Distinguished Academic Graduate, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry in September 2005. Additional operational deployments included tours with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad, Iraq in support of the ‘Surge’ from January 2007 to March 2008 and with the 3rd Infantry Division where he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2010 to conduct Advise and Assist Operations. 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