Dr Whitney Grespin has worked in contingency contracting, professional military education, and stability operations on five continents. She received her PhD in 2021 from King’s College London’s Defence Studies Department, during which time she was appointed as an instructor at the UK Joint Services Command & Staff College and led the course revision for the Peace Operation Training Institutes Ethics in Peace Operations through her affiliation for the Centre for Military Ethics. From 2020-21, she completed a Visiting Scholar engagement with George Washington Elliott School's Institute for African Studies and worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the US Air Force Academy’s Institute for Future Conflict for AY21-22.

Dr Grespin was a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Joint Special Operations University, and is currently an advisory member of the Security Sector Reform Unit for the United Nations and observer with the International Code of Conduct Association. She is currently a Fellow with the Irregular Warfare Initiative.

Research Interests

• Security Sector Reform
• Africa
• Contingency Contracting
• Civil-Military Relations
• Professional Military Education

Publications

Book Chapters

• “Contracted Contributions to the Security Force Assistance Enterprise.” in Eds. Ludovico Glorioso and Susan Pond, “Enhancing Stabilization and Strategic Partnership in a Post-Conflict Environment: A Comprehensive Approach to Human Security.” NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence. 2024.
• “S. Contingency Contracting in the Total Defence Force: Framing the Industry.” in Eds. Joakim Berndtsson, Irina Goldenberg and Stéfanie von Hlatky. "Total Defence Forces in the 21^st Century." McGill-Queen’s University Press. 2023.
• “Enhancing Operational Effectiveness Through an Analysis of the Women, Peace, and Security Environment in Djibouti.” Sandhurst Trends in Conflict: Women, Peace and Security in Military Operations. Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Howgate Publishing. 2023.
• “The Easy Button: Foreign Military Training as an Exit Plan.” Sandhurst Trends in Conflict: War Amongst the People. Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Howgate Publishing. 2019.

Research Articles

• Journal of African Military History. Things Fall Apart: Soviet Assistance to the Somali Armed Forces, 1960–1977. 6 October 2022.
• Journal of Strategic Security. From the Ground Up: The Importance of Preserving SOF Capacity Building Skills. July 2014.
• Small Wars Journal. The Spaces in Between: Mitigating Threats in Undergoverned Spaces with Michael Rettig. 17 October 2013.
• PRIAD (Partnership for Research in International Affairs & Development). Shohna ba Shohna: US Interests in Transition from Coalition to Afghan National Security Forces. July 2013 printing; Volume 1, Issue 1.
• Stability: International Journal of Security & Development. Fifty-four Durand Lines: The Importance of Persistent Security Assistance in Africa. 23 July 2013.

Monographs

• U.S. Army War College Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute monograph, The Evolving Contingency Contracting Market: Private Sector Self-Regulation and USG Monitoring of Stability Operations Services Procurement. January 2016.

Policy Papers

• “Regional Strategy to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to the Threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the IGAD region” for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). 2022.
• “Capacity Assessment and Gap Analysis Report: Somali National Security Forces Improvised Explosive Device – Threat Mitigation Capabilities” for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). 2021.
• “Ethics in Peace Operations” course revision for the Peace Operations Training Institute (POTI). 2019.

Public Media

• Medium/International Affairs. Words mean things: categorizing non-state international security actors with Caroline Batka. 27 March 2024.
• The Problem is the Contract, not the Contractor. 28 January 2022.

Whitney Grespin PURE Profile.