Phil Kaplan

About

Phil Kaplan is the executive director of the Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment and a lecturer at the Jackson School. His research and coursework focus on counterterrorism, special operations, and national security decision-making. 

Prior to joining the faculty, Kaplan served as the Senior Advisor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played a key role in the development of U.S. sanctions policy. In particular, he was involved in the sanctions response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including the establishment of a price cap for Russian oil and efforts to counter Russian sanctions and export control evasion. Previously, he was a ranger-qualified airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq and Syria in support of a counterterrorism-focused Special Operations Joint Task Force.
 
Kaplan graduated summa cum laude from Yale College and earned a JD from Yale Law School. Following law school, he clerked for the Hon. José A. Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Courses taught

GLBL 7076/7077: The National Security Policy Process
GLBL 7220: Rethinking Special Operations
GLBL 3095: Introduction to Special Operations
DRST 0005: Directed Studies – History and Political Thought