Annie Yu Kleiman

Annie fell in love with the military at the age of 11. As a cadet in Civil Air Patrol (the official Air Force auxiliary), she learned how to wear a uniform, perform drill and ceremonies, and lead dozens of her peers. For Annie, she saw enlisting in the Air Force as an opportunity to be part of something bigger than herself, to make a positive difference in the world while doing something she enjoyed. Deploying to Afghanistan in 2012 as a Cultural Support Team member, Annie’s job was to engage with women and children during “outside the wire” missions – ultimately sparking her interest in the role of women in conflict, not simply as victims but actors who can make positive impacts in conflict reduction and prevention.

After earning her Master of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Annie worked at Headquarters Air Force, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and at a nonprofit behavioral science research and design lab.

Annie continues to serve as a reservist, currently assigned as an air attaché at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Prior to this assignment she earned a Master of Science and Technology Intelligence from National Intelligence University. Her thesis used the framework of complexity theory to explore the network dynamics of a grassroots volunteer effort to evacuate members of a female Afghan special operations unit after the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

In her current role, Annie serves as a senior technical analyst with the non-profit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, where she conducts research focused on national security; women, peace, and security, and the special operations community to produce evidence based policy recommendations.