Dr. Michael C. Horowitz is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Dr. Horowitz has over 20 years of experience in leadership, research, and academic roles focused on international security issues. He is currently on a leave of absence from the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor. 

Dr. Horowitz is the author of The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics, and the co-author of Why Leaders Fight. He won the Karl Deutsch Award given by the International Studies Association for early career contributions to the fields of international relations and peace research. He has published in a wide array of peer reviewed journals and popular outlets. His expertise includes defense innovation, the intersection of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics with global politics, the role of leaders in international politics, and geopolitical forecasting methodology. 

Dr. Horowitz previously served in the Pentagon, working on force development issues in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He is a life member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and his B.A. in political science from Emory University.