Contact Info

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Thomas Bruneau, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, is with the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He joined the department in 1987, became chair in 1989, and continued in that position until 1995. He became director of the Center for Civil Military Relations in November 2000, a position he held until December 2004. He left US government service in February 2013. Dr. Bruneau has seven published books:

• Co-edited with Scott Tollefson, Who Guards the Guardians and How: Democratic Civil–Military Relations (University of Texas Press, 2006).

• Co-edited with Steven Boraz, Reforming Intelligence: Obstacles to Democratic Control and Effectiveness (University of Texas Press, 2006).

• Co-edited book with Harold Trinkunas, Global Politics of Defense Reform (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2008).

• Patriots for Profit: Contractors and the Military in U.S. National Security (Stanford University Press, 2011).

• Co-edited with Lucía Dammert and Elizabeth Skinner, Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America (University of Texas Press, 2011).

• Co-edited with Cris Matei, The Routledge Handbook of Civil-Military Relations (Routledge in London in 2012).

• Co-edited with Aurel Croissant, Civil-Military Relations: Control and Effectiveness across Regimes (Lynne Rienner in 2019).

He co-writes the annual report on Portugal for the Bertelsmann Foundation Sustainable Governance Indicators publication. Dr. Bruneau has also recently published several scholarly articles on issues of civil-military relations, outsourcing security, and intelligence reform in new democracies. Between 1998 and 2001, Dr. Bruneau served as a rapporteur of the Defense Policy Board that provides the secretary of defense and his staff with independent advice on questions of national security and defense policy.

He specializes in various security issues including street gangs, civil-military relations, and intelligence reform. For a complete list of publications, click here. 

Teaching Interests:

Society, Politics, and Security in Brazil

Special Topics in National Security Affairs

Latin America: Politics and Security in Central America