C. Spencer Abbot

Commander C. Spencer Abbot is carrying out his fellowship in residence at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) in Tokyo. Commander Abbot is examining the evolution of U.S.-Japanese security cooperation vis-à-vis a rising China. He is exploring how China's ongoing increase in economic and military power will interact with pressure on the U.S. fixed-basing model for security cooperation with Japan in shaping both U.S. strategy toward China, and the nature of U.S. defense cooperation with Japan going forward.

Commander Abbot graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995, where he served as Brigade Commander. He holds an MALD and PhD in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and an Executive MBA, taken in Spanish, from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. Commander Abbot has previously completed three aircraft carrier deployments, to include combat missions at the outset of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was selected from among all Navy pilots for the 2008 Order of Daedalians Exceptional Pilot Award. In 2012, upon completion of his fellowship, Commander Abbot will begin a command tour in Atsugi, Japan, flying the FA-18E Super Hornet with Strike-Fighter Squadron 27.