J. Michael Dahm is a Senior Resident Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies where he focuses on original research, threat-informed assessments, and recommendations for aerospace policy, strategy, and technical issues.

Background: Prior to joining Mitchell, Dahm worked for federally funded research organizations, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and then the MITRE Corporation, advising sponsors across the U.S. national security enterprise and supporting advanced research & development programs. He retired from the U.S. Navy having served over 25 years as an intelligence officer with extensive experience in the Asia-Pacific region, including a tour as an Assistant U.S. Naval Attaché in Beijing, China, and as Senior Naval Intelligence Officer for China at the Office of Naval Intelligence. He has served with USMC strike-fighter squadrons, USN carrier air wings, joint staffs and task forces executing operations ranging from non-combatant evacuations in Europe and Africa to combat actions in the Balkans and Southwest Asia.

Areas of focus: Dahm is a recognized authority on geopolitical and military challenges, sought after for threat assessments, war games, and simulations. He conducts complex investigations and leads scenario development exploring advances in military technologies, strategies, and operations. Dahm is a thought leader on future warfare concepts and an expert on China’s “informationized” and “intelligentized” (i.e. artificial intelligence-enabled) strategies and capabilities.

Academic and professional titles: Dahm received a BA in international relations from the University of Southern California. He also earned an MS in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University (NIU). He has taught graduate courses at NIU and is currently a Lecturer at the Elliot School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. Dahm is active in the open-source intelligence community and has published extensively on China military issues.