David Kilcullen

David Kilcullen is Professor of Practice in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University, contributing to Political Science through his expertise in security studies. He is also affiliated with the Center on the Future of War and the Future Security Initiative as a professor of practice and Future of War Fellow. Kilcullen earned a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales, focusing his doctoral research on insurgencies in Indonesia—including an Islamic separatist insurgency that later evolved into the Al Qaeda affiliate for Southeast Asia. His research specializations encompass counterinsurgency, terrorism, urbanization and conflict, military adaptation, and innovation.

Kilcullen's distinguished career spans 25 years as an Australian army officer, diplomat, and policy advisor, with operational experience in peacekeeping, counterinsurgency, and foreign internal defense missions across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe for both Australian and U.S. governments. Notable U.S. appointments include Chief Strategist in the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq, and Special Advisor for Counterinsurgency to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Joining ASU in 2019, he is a prolific author whose key publications include books such as "The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One" (2011), "Counterinsurgency" (2010), "Out of the Mountains: The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla" (2015), "Blood Year: The Unraveling of Western Counterterrorism" (2016), and "The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West" (2020). Additionally, his influential papers feature "Twenty-Eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company-Level Counterinsurgency" (2006), "Counterinsurgency Redux" (2006), and "Countering Global Insurgency" (2008).

Professional Email: dkilcull@asu.edu