Alice Friend is a defense policy expert and has served in several civilian roles at the Pentagon, including Principal Director for African Affairs; Senior Advisor to the Deputy Under Secretary for Strategy, Plans, and Forces; Country Director for Pakistan; and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Policy. Most recently, she was the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Alice earned her Ph.D. in international relations at American University. Her forthcoming book on the role of civilians in civil-military relations is under contract with Stanford University Press. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and American University, and is also a consultant with the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, VA. She has held research positions at Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. Army War College, and the Center for a New American Security. She earned her master's degree in U.S. foreign policy from American University and her bachelor's degree in government from Smith College.