The Truman National Security Project is a United States

national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...

and leadership development organization based in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The Truman Project's stated mission is to develop smart national security solutions that reinforce strong, equitable, effective, and

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

American global leadership. It says its network includes 2,000 veterans, frontline civilians, policy experts, and political professionals. The organization is named after former U.S. President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

. It was founded in 2004 by international relations scholars

Rachel Kleinfeld Rachel Kleinfeld is an American international relations scholar currently serving as a senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is a member of the National Endowment f ...

and Matthew Spence.

Activities

The Project provides training and messaging programs on national security issues for congressional and executive agency staff in Washington. It appoints fellows from among Americans interested in foreign policy and provides networking opportunities for them. The Truman Project has three cohorts of fellows: * Defense Council - veterans, active duty military, intel community, and defense civilians on the frontlines of where policy becomes reality * Security Fellows - academics, policy professionals, and other folks involved in making policy from Washington, DC * Political Partners - elected officials, political staff, and professionals working in elections and politics who are experts in talking about complex foreign and domestic policy issues According to Kleinfeld, the Truman Project avoids discussion of Israel policy because it is already covered by other groups. The Truman Project endorsed the For the People Act of 2019.

Funding

In 2011, the Truman Project's budget was around $4 million. It has received grants from Herbert and

Marion Sandler Marion Osher Sandler (October 17, 1930 – June 1, 2012) was the co-CEO (with her husband Herbert Sandler) of Golden West Financial Corporation and World Savings Bank. In 2004, after 43 years running Golden West Financial Corporation, she ...

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...

and the Ploughshares Fund.

Leadership

Tony Johnson is the Truman Center for National Policy and the Truman National Security Project's President and CEO, succeeding Jenna Hoffman Ben-Yehuda. Secretary of Transportation

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former naval officer who served as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation from 2021 to 2025. A me ...

, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense

Kathleen Hicks Kathleen Anne Holland Hicks (born September 25, 1970) is a former American civil servant who served as the United States deputy secretary of defense from 2021 to 2025. She is the first Senate-confirmed woman in this role and is the highest-ranki ...

, and former Secretary of Defense Leon Edward Panetta are Emeritus Members.

Reception

According to '' Tablet Magazine'', some progressives are uncomfortable with the Truman Project’s pro-military stance which they describe as "Republicanism lite".

References

External links

* {{URL, trumanproject.org Civic and political organizations of the United States Left-wing politics in the United States Think tanks based in Washington, D.C. Harry S. Truman Foreign policy political advocacy groups in the United States Think tanks based in the United States