Mike Croissant is a Senior Consultant at Straife. An insight-driven, multi-faceted, analytical expert, Mike has a seasoned intelligence background and a proven track record of successfully identifying trends, gaps, opportunities, and strategic insights in global intelligence data. Prior to joining Straife, Mike worked as a CIA targeting officer in the Director of Operations (DO) at Langley’s Counterterrorism Mission Center. A key member of the counterterrorism team, he drove the planning and execution of foreign intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and covert action operations to identify terrorist threats, illegal arms trade, and drug networks on a global scale. While at Langley, Mike leveraged advanced analytics skills and tools to strengthen the CIA’s counterterrorism posture, identify new targets and opportunities for DO activities, and support ongoing mission-critical operations. From 1999 to 2018, Mike worked as a CIA political analyst in the Directorate of Intelligence for the Office of Russian and European Analysis, where he conducted deep dives to evaluate political strategies, analyze the goals and motivations of foreign governments, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of various foreign government strategies to forecast the potential impact on US goals and policies. Mike retired from the CIA in 2021 after 22 years of service. A published author, Mike’s works include “The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications” and “Bombing Hitler’s Hometown: The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bomber Raid of World War II in Europe.” His writings also include scholarly articles in Strategic Review, Comparative Strategy, Jane’s Intelligence Review, and others. He is an exceptional data analyst – highly skilled at identifying geopolitical risks, raising awareness of emerging issues, and enabling government stakeholders to understand the strategic, operational, security, and economic impact of global intelligence challenges on US interests. Mike is a graduate of Indiana University with a Master of Arts in Central Eurasian Studies. He also attended Missouri State University, where he earned a Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies, and he has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from the University of Illinois.