John M. Collins is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a distinguished visiting research fellow at the National Defense University. Collins culminated his military career as the director of military strategy studies and then as chief of the Strategi Research Group at the National War College. He was subsequently the senior specialist in national defense at the Congressional Research Service for twenty-four years. Collins has written twelve books and numerous monographs, including Strategy: Principles, Practices, and Historical Perspectives. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.