McCarthy Anum-Addo
- National Security | International Partnerships | Congressional Affairs | Strategic Competition
My work focuses on translating complex national-security issues into practical choices for decision-makers. It connects policy, operations, international relationships, and congressional priorities so difficult issues can be understood and acted upon.
17+ Years
Experience across defense, intelligence, international affairs, and national security policy.
Decision Support.
Advice, assessments, and strategic preparation for senior military and civilian leaders.
International Partnerships.
Security cooperation and political military experience across the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.
Public Analysis
Published writing on U.S.–China competition, deterrence, economic security, alliances, and international order.
Selected Policy Work
Areas of work across strategy, international partnerships, and congressional affairs.
Defense Strategy
Work involving policy analysis, planning, and the practical questions behind defense decisions.
International Partnerships
Work involving cooperation with international partners and the coordination needed to move shared priorities forward.
Latest Analysis
Recent perspectives on strategic competition, international order, and the assumptions shaping national-security policy.
- 1 - 07 - 2026
Sensitivity Is Not Validation
Stable results can create an illusion of confidence. This analysis explains why consistency across assumptions or model runs does not necessarily prove that a model accurately represents the world it is intended to explain.
- 23 - 7 - 2026
How Interdependence Became Rivalry
Economic integration was expected to constrain strategic competition. Instead, the networks connecting the United States and China have created new vulnerabilities, sources of leverage, and instruments of economic pressure.
- 9 - 23 - 2026
The Problem With “Winning” the China Competition
Calls to win the competition with China often leave victory undefined. This analysis examines how unclear objectives can encourage overreach, distort policy choices, and make a long-term rivalry more difficult to manage.
Beyond Policy
Books, fiction, memoir, poetry, satire, and visual art.