Kate Espinosa is a Strategic Energy Security Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and serves as the Deputy Editorial Director for the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI), a public 501(c)(3) charity that supports the community of irregular warfare professionals by providing a forum to cultivate the incorporation of irregular warfare competencies into modern national security strategy. Kate began her career as an active-duty U.S. Air Force officer and continues her service as a major in the Reserves. On active duty, she oversaw airfield operations at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo, Japan, while deploying in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. She earned a Master of Public Policy in international security and economic policy from the University of Maryland, where she was an Alexander and Cleaver Fellow, and a B.S. in geospatial science with an Arabic language minor from the United States Air Force Academy.