Lindsey Ford

Lindsey W. Ford is a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Foreign Policy program. She is also an adjunct lecturer at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Her research focuses on U.S. defense strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, including U.S. security alliances, military posture, and regional security architecture. Ford is a frequent commentator on Asian security and defense issues and her analysis has been featured by outlets including the New York Times, the Wall St. Journal, the Financial Times, Politico, Foreign Policy, the Straits Times, CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg.

Most recently, Ford was the Richard Holbrooke Fellow and director for political-security affairs at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). From 2009-15, Ford served in a variety of roles within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including as the special assistant to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for the 2014 U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum. Most recently, Ford served as the senior adviser to the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, where she managed a team of advisers overseeing maritime security, multilateral security affairs, and force management planning. Ford was also a leading architect of the Asia rebalance strategy work for the Department of Defense’s 2012 “Defense Strategic Guidance Review” and oversaw the development of the Department’s first “Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy” in 2015. Ford was twice awarded with the Department of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, among other recognitions.

Lindsey has also worked as a researcher for the Center for a New American Security and as a consultant to organizations including the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Ford was born in Texas and raised in Calgary, Canada. She graduated with a master’s in public affairs and Asian studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, and a bachelor’s in vocal performance from Samford University.

Outside of Brookings work, Ford is providing outside informal counsel exclusively to the Biden campaign for President.