Dakota L. Wood, who served America for two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, is the senior research fellow for Defense Programs at The Heritage Foundation.

Wood’s research and writing focus on programs, capabilities, operational concepts, and strategies of the U.S. Department of Defense and military services to assess their utility in ensuring the United States has the ability to protect and promote its critical national security interests. Mr. Wood originated and serves as the editor for Heritage’s “Index of U.S. Military Strength,” the only annual assessment available to the public of the status of America’s military and its ability to carry out its core functions.

Wood retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2005. During his service as a Marine, he served with a variety of operational units and in various high-level staff assignments. He participated in the planning and execution of operations around the world to include Operation Enduring Freedom, when he served as a lead operational/logistics planner for U.S. Central Command during the initial operational response to the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, and then as a by-name request in late 2002 to augment and lead operational analysis and logistics planning and execution efforts in support of Marine Corps combat forces for the invasion phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom to depose Saddam Hussein.

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