Rick Brennan, Jr.

@rickbrennanjr on Twitter

Senior Political Scientist

Off Site Office

Education

Ph.D. in political science/international relations, University of California, Los Angeles; M.S. in political science/international relations, University of California, Los Angeles; B.S. in criminal justice, Arizona State University

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Rick Brennan is an adjunct political scientist at the RAND Corporation and a career Army officer with high-level Department of Defense experience on issues relating to the war in Iraq, conflict resolution, homeland defense, and strategic planning. Brennan joined RAND in 1999 and since 2006 he has served in successive positions in Iraq to include supporting MNF-I/USF-I as the RAND team leader for the Joint Interagency Task Force-Iraq (JIATF-I) and as the senior advisor to the USF-I director of Operations (J3). Starting in 2016 he served as the lead strategy and policy subject matter expert working on the Iraq Defense Governance Management Team (DGMT). He has conducted significant research and analysis on the transition from military operations to civilian control in Iraq between 2003 and 2012. He has led and participated in several other RAND studies related to homeland security, homeland defense, and military transformation.

Prior to joining RAND, Brennan served as a program manager directing projects related to the Revolution in Military Affairs for OSD (Net Assessment). He is a former Army officer, who, in addition to infantry command and staff positions, spent six years in positions related to national security and defense policy, including two years working within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and three years serving as an assistant professor at the United States Military Academy. A decorated officer, Brennan received the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), and the Army Commendation Medal. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Defense Governance Management Team -Iraq
Russia Strategic Initiative
Iraq Transitions: 2003-2012
Senior Advisor to the Director of Operations (J3)
Special Operations and Phase IV Operations in Iraq 2003-2005

Selected Publications

Richard R. Brennan, Jr., Charles P. Ries, et al., Ending the U.S. War in Iraq: The Final Transition, Operational Maneuver, and Disestablishment of United States Forces - Iraq, RAND (RR-232-USFI), 2013

Richard R. Brennan Jr., et al., Smooth Transitions? Lessons Learned from Transferring U.S. Military Responsibilities to Civilian Authorities in Iraq, RAND (RB-9749-USFI), 2013

"Military Planning Efforts, Combat Operations During Phase IV," in Nora Bensahel, Olga Oliker, Keith Crane, Richard R. Brennan Jr., Heather S. Gregg, Thomas Sullivan, and Andrew Rathmel, After Saddam: Prewar Planning and the Occupation of Iraq, RAND (MG-642-A), 2008

Peter Schirmer, Henry A. Leonard, James C. Crowley, Nancy E. Blacker, Richard R. Brennan., Jr., J. Michael Polich, Jerry Sollinger, and Daniel M. Varda, Leader Development in Army Units: Views from the Field, RAND (MG-648-A), 2008

Lynn Davis, David E. Mosher, Richard R. Brennan., Jr., Michael D. Greenberg, Charles Yost, Scott McMahon, An Army Strategy for Homeland Security, RAND (RB-9069-A), 2004

Lynn Davis, David E. Mosher, Richard R. Brennan Jr., K. Scott McMahon, Michael D. Greenberg, Charles Yost, Army Forces for Homeland Security, RAND (MG-221-A), 2004

Rick Brennan, Protecting the Homeland: Insights from Army Wargames, RAND (MR-1490-A), 2002

Honors & Awards

Fellow, Seminar XXI, 1993, Department of the Army/Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Defense Superior Service Medal, Department of Defense
Army Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), and Army Commendation Medal, U.S. Army

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: ABC Radio Australia; ARD News, Germany; Bloomberg Radio; Jazeera America; KDKA-AM; KPCC-FM AirTalk; NewsMax.com; NPR, All Things Considered

Commentary

The Tortured Roots of Sectarian Violence
The recent increase of sectarian terrorism is best understood as a product of the ancient Sunni-Shiite divide, the growth of modern-day extremist groups, the Iranian-Saudi rivalry, and the growing phenomenon of fractured states.
Dec 12, 2014 The Mark News
Iran's Covert War in Iraq
Published commentary by RAND staff: Iran's Covert War in Iraq, in the Washington Times.
Mar 16, 2007 Washington Times

Publications

Report
Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: Decisive War, Elusive Peace
Summarizes a classified five-volume report on the planning and execution of operations in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM through June 2004. Recommends changes to Army plans, operational concepts, doctrine, and Title 10 functions.
Jan 4, 2016
Testimony
The Growing Strategic Threat of Radical Islamist Ideology
Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 12, 2015.
Feb 12, 2015
Report
Ending the U.S. War in Iraq: The Final Transition, Operational Maneuver, and Disestablishment of United States Forces-Iraq
This book looks at the planning and execution of the U.S. military's exit from Iraq and the transition of responsibilities to the Iraqi government, U.S. embassy, Office of Security Cooperation, USCENTCOM, and other U.S. departments and agencies.
Nov 5, 2013
Research Brief
Smooth Transitions? Lessons Learned from Transferring U.S. Military Responsibilities to Civilian Authorities in Iraq
This brief outlines policy and planning lessons that have been encapsulated in a study of the U.S. military's transition out of Iraq at the end of 2011 and the handover of property and responsibilities to Embassy Baghdad and the government of Iraq.
Nov 5, 2013
Report
After Saddam: Prewar Planning and the Occupation of Iraq
Examines prewar planning efforts for postwar Iraq, the role of U.S. military forces after the end of major combat, and civilian efforts at reconstruction.
Feb 25, 2008
Report
Leader Development in Army Units: Views from the Field
Summarizes discussions with over 450 Army officers about leader development in Army units, and offers suggestions on how the Army school system can improve leader development.
Feb 16, 2008
Report
Army Forces for Homeland Security
What role can the Army play in protecting the United States from terrorist attacks?
Oct 14, 2004
Research Brief
An Army Strategy for Homeland Security
Given the potential but undefined threat posed to the U.S. homeland by terrorists, the Army needs to decide whether it should hedge against the risk of not being adequately prepared. RAND researchers posed five plausible scenarios and potential Army ...
2004
Report
Protecting the Homeland: Insights from Army Wargames
A survey of insights gained from wargames conducted by the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command, as they relate to current studies and analyses of homeland security.
2002
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 26, No. 2, Summer 2002
Surveys RAND research conducted since Sept. 11, 2001, that examines the dimensions of the terrorist threat and potential responses to it, and issues such as global priorities, oversees deployments, homeland security, and state and local initiatives.
2002

Multimedia

55:55
Potential Hazards in Middle East from the Crisis in Iraq
Jun 25, 2014