Sweeney previously spent 13 years as think tank analyst in Washington, DC, where he focused on U.S. foreign policy and defense planning, undertaking research and studies, including for the Department of Defense. His areas of research include U.S. national security, such as NATO relations and enlargement, Middle Eastern politics and security relations, Russian military and doctrine, long-range defense planning scenarios, and U.S. overseas presence and basing options. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the rapporteur for the Defense Policy Board. He is the co-author of the monograph, Central Asia in U.S. Strategy and Operational Planning (2004) and two books published by Brassey’s, Strategic Paradigms 2025 (1999) and Strategic Dynamics in the Nordic-Baltic Region (2000). His articles and essays have appeared on sites such as Divergent Options, West Point’s Modern War Institute, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.
