The Defense Concepts Organization

Our Counselors.

DCO’s counselors are directly involved in creating products and services, not merely sitting as a review or advisory group but delivering relevant wisdom and value throughout the process. When you hire us, you get their vision, knowledge, and expertise.

We anticipate expanding the Board of Counselors in the near future.

Erin C. Conaton, Distinguished Counselor

The Honorable Erin C. Conaton is currently President of Conaton Strategies, LLC and Senior Advisor at Ankura where she works with cyber, data management, safety, and other companies who wish to do business with the U.S. government and/or are looking for insights and assistance in understanding the defense budgeting and Congressional processes. During the Obama Administration, Erin served as Under Secretary of the Air Force and then as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Prior to that, she served for nine years on the staff and then as Staff Director of the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Erin has also taught as a Visiting Professor or Fellow at the U.S. Army War College, the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, and the Institute for Politics and Public Service in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. In addition, Erin served as Vice Chairman of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force. She holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Erin is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations as well as the National Security Leaders for America, is a Senior Fellow for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), and is a speaker for America’s Future Series.

Ted Harshberger, PhD,  Senior Counselor

Ted brings over 30 years of leadership experience in national security settings as well as in-depth knowledge of security policy, industry landscapes and analytic methods. He has published on diverse topics, ranging from military aircraft survivability, the role of information in warfare, unmanned systems, distributed systems, and the viability of new business models for the defense industry. 

Ted’s primary focus has been national security policy analysis, where he served in a variety of roles in and out of government.  Most recently, Ted served as Vice President, Lockheed Martin Studies & Analysis (LMSA), heading a team responsible for assessing long-term customer needs and future strategic environments for the Lockheed Martin enterprise. Prior, Ted served as Vice President and Director, Project AIR FORCE, at the RAND Corporation. In that role, he worked closely with Department of Air Force leadership to guide the sole federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis for the Air Force and Space Force, comprising roughly 50 active research projects onstrategy, modernization, resource management and workforce issues. 

Ted received his Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Economics and Physical Chemistry from Williams College, his Doctorate in Policy Analysis (General Distinction) from the Pardee-RAND Graduate School and is a graduate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management Executive Program. In addition to his role with DCO, Ted maintains ongoing professional affiliations with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the RAND Corporation.

Kathleen J. McInnis, PhD, Senior Counselor

Kathleen J. McInnis is a senior fellow and director of the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her research areas include the intersection of gender and national security; global security strategy; defense policy; and transatlantic security. Before rejoining the Center, she served as a specialist in international security at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), where she served as a senior expert to Congress on strategic issues including defense policy, military operations, civilian-military relations, irregular warfare, and global strategy. Prior to CRS, she worked as a research consultant at Chatham House in London, writing on NATO and transatlantic security matters. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. McInnis served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy), working on NATO operations in Afghanistan. During her last time working at CSIS from 2004 to 2006, Dr. McInnis analyzed U.S. nuclear weapons strategy, European security, and transatlantic relations. Dr. McInnis is widely published; her articles have featured in major domestic and international outlets. She is the author of two books: How and Why States Defect from Contemporary Military Coalitions and the novel The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon. Dr. McInnis was awarded her MSc in international relations from the London School of Economics and completed her PhD in war studies at King’s College London.