Jennifer Cafarella is the Research Director at the Institute for the

Study of War (ISW). She is responsible for setting the organization's

research priorities and overseeing their execution by ISW’s

team of open source intelligence analysts.

Ms. Cafarella is also responsible for leading ISW’s simulation

exercises as well as its efforts to develop detailed recommendations

on how to achieve U.S. objectives abroad. Ms. Cafarella has

conducted such exercises for various U.S. military units deploying
overseas. In 2015, she participated in a multi-week assessment

mission in the Middle East focused on the conflicts in Iraq and Syria

at the invitation of senior U.S. Army commanders. She regularly

briefs military units preparing to deploy on a range of subjects

including Syria, ISIS, and Russia.

Ms. Cafarella led ISW’s Syria team from 2014-2017 before becoming ISW’s Director of Intelligence Planning from 2018-2019. She is a graduate of ISW's Hertog War Studies Program and was the Institute's first Evans Hanson Fellow, which sponsors outstanding alumni of the War Studies Program and seeks to help build the next generation of national security leaders. Ms. Cafarella received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Global Studies with a focus on the Middle East.

Ms. Cafarella has written extensively on Syria, Iraq, Al Qaeda, and ISIS. Her essays have been published by Foreign Affairs, The Hill, and Fox News, among other outlets. She has appeared extensively in the media, including on C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, and others. Her analysis has been cited widely in print media including by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, CNN,