CNA Talks

Dr. Larry Lewis is the Director of the Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence at CNA. His areas of expertise include lethal autonomy, reducing civilian casualties, identifying lessons from current operations, security assistance, and counterterrorism. Lewis spent a decade analyzing real-world operations as the project lead and primary author for many of DOD's Joint Lessons Learned studies. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Rice University.

Samuel Bendett is an Associate Research Analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses' International Affairs Group, where he is a member of the Russia Studies Program. His work involves Russian defense and security technology and developments, Russian geopolitical influence in the former Soviet states, as well as Russian unmanned systems development, Russian naval capabilities and Russian decision-making calculus during military crises. Bendett received his M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University and B.A. in Politics and English from Brandeis University.

Kevin Pollpeter is a Research Scientist at CNA. Before joining CNA he has served as deputy director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) project on the Study of Innovation and Technology in China, deputy director of the East Asia Program at Defense Group Inc., and a researcher at RAND. A Chinese linguist, he holds an MA in international policy studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at King’s College London.