Over the past twenty years, the United States has been involved in a range of conflicts, placing significant demands on the individuals who are deployed, often multiple times. These individuals have borne the brunt of civilian decisions regarding when, how and where to use force, as well as what the goals of these conflicts should be. The challenges of war are not often well communicated to civilian policymakers. This series seeks to engage with military personnel and gain a broader perspective of the challenges they face.
Commander Elizabeth Gillis is a Coast Guard officer with extensive experience in shipboard operations, financial management, and national strategy. She currently is a special advisor to the Secretary of the Navy; she serves as the Research Director of Net Assessment where she established and manages the Department of the Navy’s long term, strategic research program in the Office of Strategic Assessment.
Previously, she was the Coast Guard Military Advisor to the Director of Net Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where she conducted classified research and developed novel ideas and grand strategy. She analyzed the U.S.’ current and future competition spaces, looking out 25-30 years, and provided strategic insight to senior leaders like the Secretary of Defense. Before this, she was the Deputy Chief of Strategic Communications for the Coast Guard, coordinating across the organization and with partners and allies to improve the effectiveness of the Service’s global efforts and strategic positioning. She was a 2018-2019 White House Fellow placed at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she focused on foreign investment in the United States. Prior to the Fellowship, she served as the Comptroller and Operations Officer at Base Los Angeles/ Long Beach, managing finances and logistics for the Coast Guard in southern California.
Previously, Elizabeth was a high-level financial analyst at Coast Guard Headquarters. For her efforts and leadership, she earned two DHS Chief Financial Officer team awards for efficiency, innovation, and transparency. Elizabeth also led diverse operations and teams over seven years at sea in fast-paced, hazardous situations. She commanded three ships, including Coast Guard Cutter WRANGELL, homeported in Bahrain with the U.S. Navy during a period of elevated threats in the Arabian Gulf. Domestically, Elizabeth interdicted over $1B in cocaine, apprehended more than 25 international drug smugglers, and rescued over 200 people in distress. Following a particularly difficult rescue, her ship was selected as the Coast Guard Foundation’s Unit of the Year for heroism.
Elizabeth has extensive experience conducting immigration operations during a swell in economic and political migration in the mid-2000s. She also led Coast Guard strategic and tactical disaster responses during Hurricane Sandy, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and Hurricane Joaquin. She formed strong coalitions with leaders across jurisdictions, authorities, and areas of expertise and interest to accomplish strategic organizational and national goals.
She is pursuing a PhD in Business Research at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. She completed an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence at the National Intelligence University; her capstone was on making Americans more resistant to misinformation. She was a 2023-2024 MIT Seminar XXI Fellow. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. in Oceanography and a minor in French. She cross-commissioned into the Coast Guard upon graduation – the first Department of Defense Service Academy graduate ever to do so. In her spare time, Elizabeth volunteers extensively, travels, sings in a choir, and enjoys swing dancing.
This event is generously supported by the Institute for Public Leadership.