Areas of Expertise: Artificial Intelligence in National Security; Autonomous and Agentic Systems; Disruptive and Convergent Technologies; Strategic Innovation; Military Ethics and AI Governance
Dr. Elise Annett is a Research Fellow in the Program of Disruptive Technology and Future Warfare at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. Her work focuses on integrating autonomous, generative, and agentic AI in military and national security operations, including the development of SYNTHComm, a synthesized command-and-control framework that models human–AI interaction and reconfigures operational oversight to maintain decision advantage and coordinate effects across domains. Her research advances frameworks for AI deployment in defense settings, strengthening strategic readiness, enhancing human–machine teaming, and embedding advanced technologies within disciplined, mission-aligned governance.
Dr. Annett received a Doctor of Liberal Studies Degree from Georgetown University in Artificial Intelligence and National Security Studies, a Master of Professional Studies in Higher Education Administration from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy from The Catholic University of America. Her interdisciplinary training in cognitive science, philosophy, governance, and systems-level analysis informs a research framework for evaluating AI integration, institutional restructuring, and strategic transformation in military and national security operations.
Dr. Annett’s scholarship advances the strategic integration of AI systems and disruptive technologies in future warfare, ensuring emerging capabilities align with mission objectives and principled national security priorities.