CNA's Center for Naval Analyses Promotes Two Senior Staff to Vice President

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recent personnel moves, CNA promoted two of its senior analysts to its Center for Naval Analyses leadership team. Keith M. Costa, Ph.D., is vice president and director of CNA Advanced Technology and Systems Analysis; and Eric V. Thompson, Ph.D., is vice president and director of CNA Strategic Studies.

Costa, who joined CNA in 1990 as a member of the Anti-submarine Warfare Department, as it was then known, most recently directed ATSA's Expeditionary Systems and Support Team. He has had four field tours working with operating forces in the Pacific and European theaters, served as the field representative to the Commanders of Seventh and Sixth Fleets, and to the Commander Naval Forces Europe.  His current research areas cover a wide range of topics, including missile defense, expeditionary operations, afloat logistics, networked ground warfare, and military experimentation. 

Costa earned a B.S. in physics and mathematics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. In 1998, Costa won the Department of the Navy Civilian Meritorious Service Award for analytic support to Commander Seventh Fleet. From 1988-1990, he was a Taufest Physics Fellow.

Thompson, who joined CNA in 1999, is a specialist on Middle East political and military affairs and has worked with U.S. and regional military and civilian leaders in North Africa, the Arabian Gulf, and the Levant. His most recent efforts have addressed counterterrorism operations, security cooperation, military-to-military relations with Egypt, interoperability with Turkish and Algerian maritime forces, and coalition building for military operations in the CENTCOM region.  Thompson has also led studies on interoperability of NATO navies, global force structure requirements, the use of distance-learning technology in preparing for coalition operations, the effectiveness of Partnership for Peace programs, and future security cooperation priorities for the U.S. military. 

Thompson is an adjunct professor at Catholic University of America, and prior to joining CNA, was an adjunct professor of international relations and history at the Virginia Military Institute. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

"Our new vice presidents bring a wealth of knowledge and analytical acumen to their leadership roles within CNA's Center for Naval Analyses," said Paul E. Speer, President of the Center. "We look forward to working with them on a variety of issues of national importance."

CNA is a not-for-profit company which serves the public interest by providing in-depth analysis and results-oriented solutions to help government leaders choose the best course of action in setting policy and managing operations. CNA: Nobody gets closer — to the people, to the data, to the problem. www.cna.org

SOURCE CNA