Christal Simanski is a strategic advisor with more than a decade of experience in U.S. defense and Indo-Pacific policy. She previously served as Special Advisor to the Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and as USINDOPACOM’s ASEAN Director and Philippines Country Director. She also served in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, where she led Quad maritime and logistics cooperation with Australia, India, and Japan. Her honors include the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award and selection as the U.S. Air Force’s Senior Civilian of the Year for International Affairs. She holds graduate degrees from the University of California, San Diego, and was a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University.