Ian Williams

Ian Williams is a fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and deputy director of the Missile Defense Project, specializing in missile defense and strategic forces, missile proliferation, and deterrence. He is also managing editor of the CSIS website Missile Threat, an online clearinghouse for information and analysis on missile proliferation and missile defense systems. Ian has authored major CSIS studies on U.S. homeland missile defense, nuclear proliferation, and the use of missiles in the Yemeni civil war. He has also written extensively on Iranian and North Korean missile programs, Chinese strategic forces and military strategy, and NATO’s missile defense architecture. Ian has made numerous appearances on global news programs, including ABC, NBC, CNN, NPR, and the BBC. His commentary has appeared in newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, and others.

During his graduate studies, Ian directed research at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. He interned at the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction at National Defense University and the Arms Control Association. He holds a B.A. from Southern Illinois University and an M.S. in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State University, where he studied arms control, WMD proliferation, missile defense, and nuclear strategy. In 2014, Ian completed his master’s thesis, “Future Directions for the Proliferation Security Initiative.” Before entering the international security field, Ian worked in international education, living for extensive periods in Russia, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. He also served for six years as an engineer in the U.S. Army Reserve.