Laura Junor, Ph.D.

Director, INSS

Dr. Laura Junor became the the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies in February 2018 after serving for one year as Interim Director. She was previously the Director of the Center for Strategic Research (CSR) and is a University Professor. As Director of INSS, she oversees five research centers and a publishing unit that provide direct analytic support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The research centers provide regional expertise in areas such as Russia, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa, and NATO, along with functional expertise in fields such as national security policy, military strategy, defense reform, future warfare, military readiness, and international political economy. These researchers maintain leading-edge expertise in their fields. Much of their work is posted at http://ndupress.ndu.edu

Prior to her arrival at NDU, Dr. Junor was confirmed as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. As the Principal Deputy, Dr. Junor co-led the Department’s efforts to modernize the military retirement system and transformed readiness management in the Department. Her additional responsibilities included all military and civilian personnel policies, the military healthcare system including TRICARE, family support services, the Defense Commissary Agency, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and department policy relating to suicide prevention and sexual assault. Dr. Junor previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, the Chief of Staff for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, and as a deputy team leader for readiness at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). 

A native of the D.C. metropolitan area, Dr. Junor graduated from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland with honors in economics. She received her Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.