Research/Areas of Interest
U.S. national security policy
State and security sector institution building
Roles and missions of U.S. armed forces
Contemporary military strategy, planning, and military interventions
Civil-military relations
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Abigail Linnington
Professor of the Practice of International Security
Contact Information
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617-627-4706
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160 Packard Avenue, Room 609
- View the full faculty profile
Education
- PhD, The Fletcher School, Medford, United States
- MALD, The Fletcher School, Medford, United States
- BS, United States Military Academy, West Point, United States
Biography
Abigail Linnington, F04, F13, is the Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. Professor of International Security and director of the International Security Studies Program at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She teaches national security decision making, strategy and grand strategy, civil resistance, and security sector reform. In 2022, she received the James L. Paddock Teaching Award from Fletcher students.
Retiring at the rank of colonel, Linnington served for 25 years in the United States Army as a military strategist and aviator. From 2016 to 2018, she was a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of the Chairman's Action Group. In that position, she supported the chairman in his role as senior military advisor to the president, secretary of defense, the National Security Council, and Congress. She worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for two years as an advisor on war plans related to European security and U.S. special operations. From 2012 to 2014, she led the analysis and speechwriting team for the U.S. Army chief of staff.
In 2008 and 2009, Linnington participated in several interagency policy reviews related to the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. She assisted with the creation of an interagency task force to assist with rule of law initiatives in Afghanistan and deployed as an advisor to the Commander, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force - 435 (Rule of Law) from 2010 to 2011.
As a pilot qualified in the UH-60 (Blackhawk) and OH-58 (Kiowa) helicopters, she commanded units in the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 3rd Infantry Division (Savannah, Georgia), and Eighth U.S. Army (Republic of Korea). She has received the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the 2017 Tufts Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, among other honors.
Linnington sits on the boards of the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of civilians, and DEPLOY/US, a nonprofit that supports bipartisan climate leadership for U.S.-led decarbonization.
Retiring at the rank of colonel, Linnington served for 25 years in the United States Army as a military strategist and aviator. From 2016 to 2018, she was a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of the Chairman's Action Group. In that position, she supported the chairman in his role as senior military advisor to the president, secretary of defense, the National Security Council, and Congress. She worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for two years as an advisor on war plans related to European security and U.S. special operations. From 2012 to 2014, she led the analysis and speechwriting team for the U.S. Army chief of staff.
In 2008 and 2009, Linnington participated in several interagency policy reviews related to the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. She assisted with the creation of an interagency task force to assist with rule of law initiatives in Afghanistan and deployed as an advisor to the Commander, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force - 435 (Rule of Law) from 2010 to 2011.
As a pilot qualified in the UH-60 (Blackhawk) and OH-58 (Kiowa) helicopters, she commanded units in the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 3rd Infantry Division (Savannah, Georgia), and Eighth U.S. Army (Republic of Korea). She has received the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the 2017 Tufts Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, among other honors.
Linnington sits on the boards of the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of civilians, and DEPLOY/US, a nonprofit that supports bipartisan climate leadership for U.S.-led decarbonization.
Selected Publications
Linnington, A. (2017). Rule of Law and Governance in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. In Our Latest Longest War Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan. University of Chicago Press.
Kaufman, D. J., Parker, J. M., Linnington, A. T., & Academy, U. S. M. (2006). Through Alternative Lenses Current Debates in International Relations.