Sam Ayres was a non-resident fellow in New America’s International Security program, primarily interested in the implications of the climate crisis for national security and international affairs.
He is currently pursuing a J.D. at Yale Law School. Prior to law school, he served in the U.S. Army as an enlisted infantryman. As a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, he served as a team leader and squad leader and deployed to Afghanistan as part of a special operations task force.
Before joining the military, Sam helped Gen. (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal research and write his memoir My Share of the Task (Penguin, 2013). He was also a Research Associate in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a volunteer contributor to the Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project (now ServiceYear), which advocated for universal national service and sought to expand civilian service opportunities.
Sam holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from Yale. While in college, he worked in East Africa on post-conflict issues.
Raised in Colorado and Montana, he lives in Seattle with his wife.