Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith is a leader in diverse professional cultures: the United States Congress, the United States Military, and Higher Education. Combining a 17 year career in the United States Senate, serving on both committee and personal staffs with a 14 year tenure as a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College, she has a unique understanding and acceptance in these distinct worlds.

Dr. Breslin-Smith served on the staffs of three United States Senators: Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), Donald Stewart (D-AL) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). During her 12 years with Senator Leahy, she was his Legislative Director and then Deputy Staff Director of the Agriculture Committee when he assumed the chairmanship of that committee. While her subject expertise covers international and defense issues, her legislative leadership also spanned a wide variety of domestic and business issues.

At the National War College, Dr. Breslin-Smith taught senior military officers and officials from the State Department and the Intelligence Community, in a year long graduate level course in National Security Strategy. She served as Department Chair and was named Outstanding Professor in 2006. Dr. Breslin-Smith taught courses on Congress and National Security, the Foundations of Strategy, the National Security Policy Process and a year long course on Military Campaign Planning. She also began the Business Advisory Group for the College. She is currently finishing a history of the National War College, and she is working with Army and Marine officers from the War College Class of 2005 on book of war time reflections titled “Fresh from the Fight.”