PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Paul Scharre

Paul Scharre is a national security writer whose books and policy work address autonomous weapons and the struggle to control AI. He served as a reconnaissance team leader in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion before he joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2008, and there he led the working group that drafted DoD Directive 3000.09 on autonomy in weapon systems. His first book, Army of None, was released in 2018 and won the 2019 Colby Award. TIME named him to its first TIME100/AI list in September 2023, and he published Four Battlegrounds in 2023. As of October 2026, he is executive vice president at the Center for a New American Security, where he has worked since leaving the Defense Department in 2013.

Now at
Center for a New American Security
Works
16
Citations
1,291
h-index
6

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. By 2008

    Army Ranger reconnaissance leader

    He serves as a special operations reconnaissance team leader in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion, with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, before he joins the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2008.

  2. 2008–2013

    Policy on autonomous weapons

    From 2008 to 2013, he works in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he helps set policy on unmanned and autonomous systems and leads the working group that drafts DoD Directive 3000.09 on autonomy in weapon systems.

  3. 2013–2021

    Joining CNAS as a fellow

    After leaving the Defense Department in 2013, he joins the Center for a New American Security as a fellow. In April 2021, he is named vice president and director of studies there.

  4. 2018

    Army of None on autonomous weapons

    His first book, Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War, is released in 2018, and Bill Gates names it one of the top five books of 2018.

  5. 2019

    Colby Award for Army of None

    Army of None wins the 2019 Colby Award, and The Economist names it one of the top five books for understanding modern warfare.

  6. 2023

    Four Battlegrounds on AI power

    He publishes Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence through Norton in 2023, a book about the struggle to control AI.

  7. September 2023

    On TIME's first TIME100 AI list

    In September 2023, TIME names him to its first TIME100/AI list, which highlights 100 individuals advancing major conversations about how AI is reshaping the world.

  8. As of October 2026

    Executive vice president at CNAS

    He is executive vice president at the Center for a New American Security, where he has worked since leaving the Defense Department in 2013.

Sources and credits

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  1. Paul Scharre | CNAS cnas.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Paul Scharre justsecurity.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Paul Scharre Named to TIME's Inaugural List of the TIME100/AI | CNAS cnas.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. CNAS Names Paul Scharre Vice President and Director of Studies | CNAS cnas.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War | FSI cisac.fsi.stanford.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Paul Scharre, "Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" (Norton, 2023) - New Books Network newbooksnetwork.com. Checked 15 October 2026.