ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Frank Kearney
Frank Kearney is a retired US Army lieutenant general who served more than 35 years, with operational and command assignments spanning Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He participated in the opening campaigns of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later commanded US special operations forces across the Middle East. From 2007 to 2010, he served as deputy commander of US Special Operations Command, overseeing special operations forces and missions around the world. His final active-duty assignment was as deputy director for strategic operational planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, where he worked across cabinet-level agencies to coordinate government-wide efforts to implement the Obama administration’s counterterrorism strategy.
Ariane Tabatabai
Ariane Tabatabai joined the Council in 2026 as the vice president of research, security and defense. She also serves as senior fellow for the Middle East, focusing on nuclear security and regional security dynamics in the Middle East. Previously, Dr. Tabatabai served in the US Departments of State and Defense, including as US deputy assistant secretary of defense for force education and training. She is an expert on nuclear issues, Iranian foreign and security policy, and regional security in the Middle East, and her current research focuses on US alliances and NATO. Dr. Tabatabai has held senior positions at the RAND Corporation, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Columbia University.
DETAILS
When
Where
