Michael Pillsbury serves as a contributor providing political analysis for various programs across FOX News Media. He joined the network in 2024.
Since 2004, Dr. Pillsbury has served as a consultant at the United States Department of Defense. Previously, he was on the staff of four U.S. Senate Committees where he drafted the Senate Labor Committee version of the legislation that enacted the U.S. Institute of Peace in 1984. He was the assistant Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning in the Reagan administration, where he was responsible for implementing the Reagan Doctrine. In 1992, under President George H. W. Bush, Dr. Pillsbury was Special Assistant for Asian Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, reporting to Andrew W. Marshall, Director of Net Assessment. Previously, he was the Assistant Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations and served as an analyst at the RAND Corporation.
An accomplished author, Dr. Pillsbury has published two books, "China Debates the Future Security Environment" (NDU Press, 2000) and "The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower." He was also the editor of "Chinese Views of Future Warfare" (NDU Press, 1998). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Additionally, he has published works in Foreign Policy, The RUSI Journal and International Security, among other publications.
A graduate of Stanford University, Dr. Pillsbury holds a BA in history with honors in social thought. He also received an MA and PHD from Columbia University.