Experts Guide

Mahmoudian’s research focuses on the Middle East, specifically Iran’s regional policy and the role of non-state actors in the region. He can also discuss Russia’s foreign policy, with a focus on Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Oakley is a former U. S. Army field artillery officer and an expert in intelligence, including CIA/Department of Defense relations; U.S. foreign policy; civilian-military and civilian-intelligence relations and

irregular warfare.

McKenzie became the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute in May 2022. In July 2022, he also became the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida. He is the former Commander, United States Central Command. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, upon graduation from The Citadel in 1979, McKenzie was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps and trained as an infantry officer.

Cardoso is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with expertise in aerospace and aviation science. He can comment on topics related to national security, military, the defense industry, special operations and combat aviation.

Burrell is an expert on U.S. history, military science and international relations. He can discuss how the decades-long conflict in Venezuela recently came to the forefront of international attention following the U.S. military extraction of dictator Nicolas Maduro and the complexities of his drug indictment in New York.

Schnaufer is an expert on NATO, military studies, foreign policy and hybrid warfare. He has served in both line and airborne infantry units. He published a book chapter in “The Challenge to NATO: Global Security and the Atlantic Alliance” titled, NATO Burden Sharing in the Age of Hybrid Warfare.