The General Jack Keane Center for National Security
The Keane Center shapes informed national security policy by providing decision makers with continuous, timely, accurate, and independent analysis as well as superior insight on military activities vital to US national security.
ISW TEAMS
RUSSIA & Ukraine middle east china & Taiwan Adversary Entente Contemporary & Future War Geospatial InTelligence Cognitive WarfareDaily/Weekly
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About the Keane Center
The Keane Center generates open-source intelligence on active conflicts, provides early warning assessments, develops policy recommendations, and identifies strategic risks and opportunities for the United States and its allies. These essential efforts reflect ISW’s core values: a commitment to national service, analytical independence, the cultivation of emerging talent, and innovative problem-solving.
Keane Center Mission
The General Jack Keane Center for National Security shapes informed national security policy by providing decision makers with continuous, timely, accurate, and independent analysis as well as superior insight into military activities vital to US national security.
The Keane Center produces unclassified intelligence on active conflicts, provides early warnings, develops policy options, and identifies strategic risks and opportunities for the United States and its allies. The Keane Center is a leader in forecasting crises and issuing early warnings that enable decision makers to avert dangers or respond more quickly and effectively when they occur.
The Keane Center houses ISW’s six teams responsible for producing open-source intelligence analysis and forecasts. These include the Russia, China, Middle East, and Geospatial Intelligence teams, as well as the Adversary Entente Task Force—which examines the cooperation among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea—and the Information Operations Task Force, which analyzes information operations conducted by US adversaries.
The Keane Center’s competitive advantage is the combination of our data-driven research model, top-notch analysts, and advanced tradecraft, which yield accurate intelligence that informs national security decision making and implementation while empowering the American public with reliable and nonpartisan information.
General Keane was an early believer in ISW and our critical mission, and national security leaders across parties and presidential administrations have continuously relied on the fact-based, trustworthy analysis for which ISW and General Jack Keane are known. ISW honored General Keane with the ISW National Security Leadership Award in 2021.
METHODOLOGY
World Class Intelligence Analysis
ISW has spent over 15 years developing our open source intelligence methodologies and adapting to the changing information environment and emerging technologies in order to produce reliable assessments, forecasts, warnings and other strategic insights – all grounded in granular data.
ISW’s research methodology guarantees its success and commitment to improve the nation’s ability to execute military operations, achieve strategic objectives, and respond to emerging problems that may require the use of American military power.
The Keane Center aims to innovate within the intelligence field to generate lessons learned and best practices from the public domain that can inform how the intelligence community refines its tradecraft. The Keane Center empowers analysts by integrating cutting-edge technologies to access and visualize new data.
Honoring General Jack Keane, US Army Retired
ISW established the Keane Center for Intelligence Analysis to honor the ongoing leadership and vision of General John M. “Jack” Keane, US Army Retired, whose 37 years of public service (1966-2003) culminated in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He continues to serve in a civilian capacity as the Chairman of ISW’s Board of Directors and through extensive media and policy engagement that informs Americans and their leaders with truthful and often frank assessments of threats to American security and prosperity.
Clockwise, left: Gen. Jack Keane (ret.) on PBS FRONTLINE, America After 9/11, April 6, 2021; 2016 Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza (FVVP) Phelps Award Honoree Gen. Keane (ret.); Gen. Keane (ret.) receives Presidential Medal of Freedom, March 10, 2020; Gen. Keane serves as U.S. Army acting chief of staff, Fallujah, Iraq, July 5, 2003; Gen. Keane serves as U.S. Army vice chief of staff, December 18, 2001.
biography
General Jack Keane,
US Army (Ret.)
General Jack Keane is a foreign policy and national security expert who provides nationwide analysis and commentary in speeches, articles, congressional testimony and through several hundred television and radio interviews annually. He serves as an advisor to CEOs and senior management for several public and private companies and is a member of numerous boards and foundations to include the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and the Knollwood Foundation. General Keane is a member of the prestigious Secretary of Defense Policy Board.
General Keane, a four-star general, completed 37 years of public service in December 2003, culminating in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. As the chief operating officer of the Army for over 4 years, he directed 1.5 million soldiers and civilians in 120 countries, with an annual operating budget of 110 billion dollars. General Keane was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and provided oversight and support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2004, General Keane has conducted frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan for senior defense officials, with multiple visits during the surge period in both countries. General Keane is a career infantry paratrooper, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, decorated for valor, who spent much of his military life in operational commands, including command of the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the legendary 18th Airborne Corps, the Army’s largest warfighting organization.
General Keane graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science degree and received a Master of Arts degree from Western Kentucky University. He is a graduate of the Army War College and the Army Command and General Staff College. He is the recipient of the Fordham University Founder’s Award as well as the Western Kentucky University Distinguished Alumni Award. General Keane is also the recipient of three honorary Doctorate Degrees, a member of the Fordham Army ROTC Hall of Fame, and has been named the USO Man of the Year.
Among his numerous awards, General Keane was the first military leader to be honored with the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, the William Penn Club of Philadelphia Award, the American Veterans Center Goodpaster Award, the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza Phelps Award, The Union League of Philadelphia Lincoln Award and is a recipient of the prestigious Lynde and Harry Bradley Prize. In March 2020, General Keane was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. General Keane’s numerous military service medals and citations include two Defense and two Army Distinguished Service Medals, five Legions of Merit, the Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Vietnam Service medals, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and Ranger Tab, to name a few.
Learn about
Contemporary and Future War
This project explores the ways the United States and its potential adversaries, including Russia and China, are learning from ongoing geopolitical competition and military engagements. The series explores the ways these evolutions in the operating environment provide opportunities for experimentation and testing of new technologies, capabilities, and approaches to war. The papers explore organizational adaptations to incorporate new capabilities, doctrinal changes to harness them, and the ability to institutionalize these changes in ways that will shape the future of war.
Research Integrity policy
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a 501(c)(3) organization and produces strictly non-partisan, non-ideological, fact-based research. ISW seeks to promote an informed understanding of national security through comprehensive, independent, and accessible analysis and mapping. ISW’s research is made available to the general public, military practitioners, policy makers, and members of the media.
ISW is strictly non-partisan. Should an ISW scholar or affiliate take a position on a policy issue, they do so speaking for themselves and not for ISW, its Board of Directors, or other scholars or employees. Should ISW staff join political campaigns, they must inform ISW’s leadership of their affiliation and conduct all such work outside of business hours and in their personal capacity. ISW researchers and publications do not advocate for specific legislation at any time. They will not seek to advance commercial or legislative interests of ISW funders.
All of ISW’s research and analysis is unclassified, fully documented, and of the highest integrity. ISW staff must inform ISW leadership of any conflicts of interest, such as if they own significant stock or equity in a commercial interest closely related to their research focus. If a conflict of interest occurs, ISW will not accept funding from that interest for that staff member’s work. Likewise, ISW employees may not accept payment from lobbying or advocacy groups even in their personal capacity.
In order to sustain and grow our research programs and achieve our mission, ISW is funded entirely through the support of foundations, corporations, and private individuals. ISW does not take any US or foreign government money. Research is driven by events on the ground and based on the priorities of ISW’s leadership and analysts.
