Brandon Kirch
Systems Planning & Analysis Inc.
Biography
Brandon Kirch is a defense strategist with Systems Planning & Analysis Inc., where he designs strategy and doctrine for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Most of his career has focused on U.S. counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy in Afghanistan and the Arabian Gulf. Originally an analyst at the Department of Defense’s Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force, Brandon shifted to the Joint Staff in support of the 2021 retrograde. There he advised senior Pentagon officials, planned contingency operations for the evacuation of Kabul Airport, and provided threat assessments to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Task Force. Following the withdrawal, he staffed the National Intelligence Council and coordinated intelligence integration for the Joint Staff J5 Directorate (Policy, Plans, & Strategy). Brandon has served on overseas military delegations, worked in uniformed and civilian roles spanning the tactical to strategic levels, and spent a combined five years forward-deployed to the CENTCOM theater, including 30 months in southern Afghanistan. A U.S. Navy veteran, Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in history from The Citadel and a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University.