The Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs was established in April 2017 in recognition of Ratan N. Tata’s leadership on Carnegie’s Board of Trustees and his role in taking Indian industry beyond its national borders to create a global brand, emphasizing innovation as the hallmark of commercial success, and contributing to the building of U.S.-India ties.

The Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs is focused on the pressing international security challenges of the emerging world order, especially U.S. foreign policy and relationships in Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

The inaugural holder of the chair is Ashley J. Tellis, one of the most renowned experts in international security, defense, and Asian strategic issues. Tellis has served as a senior adviser in the U.S. State Department in Washington, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and on the U.S National Security Council, where he was a special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.