Center for Security Policy

Center for Security Policy
source
Name	Center for Security Policy
Formation	1988
Founder	Frank Gaffney
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Frank Gaffney

Center for Security Policy is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative think tank founded in 1988 that focuses on national security, defense, and foreign policy. It engages with policymakers in the United States, participates in public debates involving intelligence assessments, counterterrorism, and strategic competition, and produces reports, briefings, and media commentary aimed at influencing legislative and executive decision-making. Its work intersects with debates involving NATO, the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and congressional committees.

History

The organization was established in 1988 by Frank Gaffney, who previously served in the Reagan Administration at the Department of Defense and participated in policy discussions with figures from the Reagan administration and the Heritage Foundation. During the 1990s it expanded its footprint amid debates surrounding the Gulf War and the post-Cold War restructuring of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the 2000s the group increased output on issues linked to the War on Terror and policy debates about the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War. It has engaged with lawmakers from both chambers of the United States Congress and testified before committees such as the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mission and Activities

The organization frames its mission around strengthening American defenses and countering perceived strategic threats from states and non-state actors. Its activities include publishing policy papers, hosting conferences and briefings, offering testimony, and producing media commentary. It has issued analyses addressing relations with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as well as topics related to energy security and transnational terrorism linked to groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. It organizes events that feature speakers from institutions such as the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Heritage Foundation.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization is led by its founder, who has held the title of president since inception. Its internal structure has included research fellows, senior advisors, and a board of directors consisting of former officials from the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Staff and affiliates have included analysts with prior service at institutions such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Pentagon, and universities including Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. Leadership transitions and advisory appointments have periodically attracted attention from media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Funding and Affiliations

Funding for the organization has come from private donations, foundations, and individual contributors, including supporters linked to conservative advocacy networks and philanthropic entities. It has had affiliations and collaborative interactions with organizations in the conservative ecosystem such as the American Conservative Union, the Family Research Council, the Claremont Institute, and the Federalist Society, while also engaging policymakers from the Republican Party and sympathetic actors in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Financial transparency and donor relationships have been subjects of reporting by outlets such as ProPublica and investigative coverage by The Intercept.

Policy Positions and Publications

The organization has produced reports and commentaries on issues including missile defense, nuclear deterrence, counterintelligence, and migration policies tied to national security. Publications have addressed perceived threats from radical Islamism and advocated policy stances on relations with Iran and the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), as well as positions on China–United States relations and critiques of engagement with Russia. It has issued model legislation, op-eds in outlets like The Wall Street Journal and National Review, and briefing materials circulated to staff of the White House and members of Congress. Its analyses have been cited by policymakers associated with administrations and congressional leadership seeking tougher postures on defense and homeland security.

Controversies and Criticism

The organization has been the subject of controversy and criticism from civil liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch for work critics characterize as promoting Islamophobic narratives and for publications that link immigration and religious communities to security risks. Media scrutiny by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and investigative outlets has highlighted disputed claims in some reports and the circulation of lists and talking points that sparked responses from public figures and elected officials. Internal departures and public resignations by advisers, as well as condemnations from think tanks like the Brookings Institution and advocacy groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center, have punctuated public debates about the organization’s role in policy discourse.

Influence and Impact on U.S. Policy

The organization has sought to shape U.S. policy by providing testimony before congressional committees, supplying policy drafts and model legislation, and influencing media narratives around security threats. Its advocates have been associated with legislative initiatives on immigration enforcement, counterterrorism measures, and defense budgets debated in the United States Congress. While supporters credit it with elevating issues of strategic competition with China and countering proliferation from North Korea, critics argue its impact has at times polarized debate and influenced policy discussions in ways contested by national security scholars at institutions like Harvard Kennedy School and Princeton University.

Category:Think tanks based in the United States