As senior fellow for national security affairs, Peter Brookes helps develop and communicate The Heritage Foundation’s stance on foreign and defense policy through his research and writing, media and public appearances and congressional testimony.

In addition, Dr. Brookes is serving his fourth term as a congressionally appointed member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He previously served in the administration of President George W. Bush as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs. In this post, he was responsible for U.S. defense policy for 38 countries and five bilateral defense alliances in Asia.

Since joining Heritage in 2002, Dr. Brookes has developed a major presence in the print media, publishing more than 300 articles in dozens of newspapers, journals and magazines. Many of the world’s most-read newspapers and magazines have quoted him.  He is the author of the book “A Devil’s Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Rogue States” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005; paperback, 2007).

He also is a force in broadcast media, having logged nearly 2,500  appearances as a commentator on television and radio – among them ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX , FOX Business,, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, BBC, CBC, VOA, Al Hurra and Radio Free Asia. Brookes has guest-hosted on XM satellite radio and for talk radio programs in major markets.

On Capitol Hill, Dr. Brookes has testified numerous times in the Senate and the House, both as a public official and a private citizen. A popular public speaker, he has delivered more than 200 addresses in over 20 nations. He has spoken as part of the State Department’s public diplomacy programs in Japan, Germany, Australia, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Prior to the George W. Bush administration, Dr. Brookes was a professional staff member with the House International Relations Committee. He also served with the CIA and the State Department at the United Nations. In the private sector, he worked in the defense and intelligence industries.

A decorated Navy veteran, Dr. Brookes served on active duty in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East in aviation and intelligence billets. He has more than 1,300 flight hours aboard the Navy’s EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft.

Now a retired Navy commander, Dr. Brookes also served as a reservist with the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Naval Intelligence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Vice President, working as an intelligence analyst, strategic debriefer, Russian language interpreter, defense attaché, policy adviser and associate professor at the Joint Military Intelligence College.

Dr. Brookes has visited nearly 60 countries on five continents and was an international election observer in Indonesia and Cambodia. He served in political positions at the local, state and national level, including helping draft the foreign policy platform for the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. He advised the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney campaigns on foreign policy and briefed 2008 and 2012 presidential candidates.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (B.S.); the Defense Language Institute (Russian); the Naval War College; the Johns Hopkins University (M.A.) and Georgetown University (Doctorate). He also has taught at the National Defense University and studied German and Polish.

Among Dr. Brookes’ awards and honors are the Navy League of New York’s Frank Knox Media Award; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Navy Commendation Medal (three awards); Navy Achievement Medal; Defense Language Institute’s Kellogg Award; the Joint Chiefs of Staff service badge; and Naval Aviation Observer wings.