8 Decades, 8 Stories

In commemoration of 80 years serving the nation, CNA has assembled eight stories of work that made an impact across eight decades.

1940s

How analysts in the Pacific calculated the best tactics to protect Navy ships from kamikaze raids. Narrated by CNA naval historian Dr. Steven Wills.

1950s

Korean War port congestion led CNA analyst Dr. John Everett to remarkable solutions using queuing theory. Narrated by CNA’s Dr. Warren Sutton.

1960s

Bruce Powers describes his analyses to save lives by improving the rescues of U.S. aviators shot down in the Vietnam War.

1970s

Dr. Bill Sims recounts his role in fixing a faulty test — and catching test cheaters — that had led to underqualified recruits in the post-draft years.

1980s

Christine Fox explains how CNA operations analysis in exercises and at TOPGUN helped protect aircraft carriers from Soviet bombers

1990s

Using original C-SPAN footage, Anne Dixon describes CNA wargame Terror of Babel, which pitted national figures against a humanitarian disaster.

2000s

Steve Rickman explains CNA’s role in the establishment of SMART Policing, bringing scientific analysis to crime data.

2010s

Dawn Thomas recounts CNA’s marathon effort to turn mountains of data on Superstorm Sandy into improvements in emergency preparedness.

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