Stefanie Peterson, a major in the U.S. Air Force, is a visiting defense fellow at The Washington Institute. Previously, she was the senior intelligence officer of the 48th Fighter Wing at England's Lakenheath Air Base. There, she directed fifty-six intelligence personnel in support of the wing, which included three F-15 fighter squadrons and one HH-60 rescue squadron. Prior to that posting, Major Peterson served as wing executive officer for the 48th, also known as the Statue of Liberty Wing.
Major Peterson has served in a number of intelligence assignments, including command briefer and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) analyst for U.S. Central Command. There, Major Peterson served as lead analyst for Iran, focusing on the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programs. She also deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a collection manager and intelligence liaison. Immediately after the September 11 attacks, Major Peterson drafted the operations plan for bringing the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft into the Afghan theater.
A graduate of the Air Force's Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College, Major Peterson's military expertise includes ballistic missiles, WMD counterproliferation, Iranian nuclear development, and fighter and personnel recovery operations.
Education: M.P.A., Troy University; B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy
