Jeffrey Payne

Jeffrey Payne is an Assistant Professor at the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies. He pilots the Center’s maritime security programming, including its ongoing series devoted to the Indian Ocean Region and wider Indo Pacific. In addition, he leads the NESA Center’s engagements relating to maritime and littoral information sharing/data analysis.

Professor Payne conducts analysis on Chinese foreign policy, Indian Ocean Regional affairs, and maritime security. He is particularly interested in the intersection of maritime security and strategic competition in the Indian Ocean, as well as in how technology and information can assist in furthering security cooperation. His work informs United States Combatant Commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and interagency efforts inside the United States government. Payne takes part in United States government efforts relating to Maritime Domain Awareness and helps facilitate internal discussions across bureaucratic seams existing in the Indian Ocean. He has presented before international conclaves, security forums, and defense institutions in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia.

Prior to joining the NESA Center, he served as an Instructor of Political Science at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and did his graduate studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.