Bryan Clark
Senior Fellow, The Center of Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
As a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Bryan Clark directs studies and analyses on the future of warfare, the implications of new technologies, and naval strategy and operations. He has led research sponsored by the Department of the Navy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Office of the Secretary of Defense to help guide decisions on how the U.S. military should organize, train, and equip its forces. Mr. Clark has also published studies on the future of electronic and electromagnetic spectrum warfare, undersea warfare, naval surface warfare, strike operations, and air and missile defense.
Mr. Clark is a senior fellow at CSBA, an independent policy research institute established to promote innovative thinking about defense planning and investment strategies for the 21st century.
Mr. Clark enlisted in the Navy in 1982, and following Recruit Training in Great Lakes, Illinois he entered the enlisted Naval Nuclear Propulsion Training pipeline as a Machinists Mate. At the end of enlisted nuclear training, he was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program (Nuclear Option) and majored in Chemistry and Philosophy at the University of Idaho, graduating in 1988. He then completed the officer Nuclear Propulsion Training pipeline and reported to USS ALABAMA (SSBN-731) (Gold) in November 1990.
While on ALABAMA, Mr. Clark served as Torpedo/Fire Control Officer, Chemistry and Radiological Controls Assistant, and Assistant Weapons Officer, contributing to ALABAMA’s receiving the Battle Efficiency “E”. He then served temporarily on USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON (SSN-617) before returning to ALABAMA to qualify as Engineer Officer and Weapons Officer. Mr. Clark transferred to shore duty at Trident Training Facility in Bangor, Maine in November 1993, where he was the Tactics Training Division Officer and led implementation of the Tactical Weapons Proficiency Phase 1 training program for Trident submarines.
Mr. Clark returned to sea in June 1996 as Engineer Officer of USS GEORGIA (SSBN-729) (GOLD), where he completed five patrols and the first-ever Trident submarine Extended Refit Period. Following GEORGIA, Mr. Clark relieved as Executive Officer in Moored Training Ship 635 (Ex-Sam Rayburn) at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) in Charleston, South Carolina. On MTS 635, he led the qualification of more than 2000 nuclear propulsion plant operators and implemented improvements that helped establish NPTU as the standard for the nuclear fleet.
In August 2001, Mr. Clark relieved as the NPTU Operations Officer, where he oversaw Base Operations Support, including facilities and physical security. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he led improvements in physical security to protect the command’s two nuclear powered ships and more than 1600 personnel, including increased manning, new shore infrastructure, and waterborne patrols.