Nina Rhoades has more than 10 years experience as a research consultant and writer with focus areas in the Middle East as well as foreign and defense policy. She served for five years as an officer in the United States Air Force Reserves, culminating with a two-year stint dual-hatted as the Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor for Air Force Special Operations Command and a Commander's Action Group officer for its three-star commander. Prior to the Air Force, she spent two years living and working in Syria and Jordan, where she worked the UN Liaison for International Relief and Development, a USAID contractor. Nina also served as a Senior Research Assistant for Dr. Michael O'Hanlon at the Brookings Institution. She speaks Modern Standard Arabic and the Syrian dialect and holds an MA from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University as well as a BA in International Relations from the College of William and Mary.