Natasha Lander Finch is a senior fellow with the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. She previously worked as a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, where she led research on a range of issues, including chemical, biological, and nuclear policy; counterterrorism; European security; and military and civilian workforce policy. Lander Finch also served as an advisor within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. In this capacity, she aided the development of policy guidance influencing diplomatic, operational, and technical aspects of the international mission to remove and destroy Syria’s declared chemical weapons. During her assignment at the Pentagon, Lander Finch was also the principal advisor for NATO’s Committee on Proliferation in the Defense Format, where she fostered the implementation of policies to protect NATO allies against threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and to strengthen NATO’s chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear preparedness. For her efforts, Lander Finch was twice awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Prior to joining RAND, Lander Finch was a senior analyst and deputy program manager at BAE Systems, where she authored a variety of analytic products for US government policymakers. 

Lander Finch holds a Master of Science in psychology and the neuroscience of mental health with distinction from King’s College London, a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a dual major in political science from Bowling Green State University. Her commentaries have been published in the Cipher Brief, the National Interest, Real Clear Defense, and US News and World Report.