Kentaro Mihara is a visiting fellow in Foreign Policy’s Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology.
His research examines how defense production capacity and contested logistics can work synergistically to strengthen deterrence and sustain military operations in the Western Pacific. He also explores how strategic signaling can shape perceptions and contribute to deterrence.
A lieutenant colonel in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Mihara has held policy and planning positions at the Ministry of Defense, Joint Staff, and Air Staff Office. His work has focused on the U.S.-Japan alliance, multilateral defense cooperation, capability development, defense acquisition, and strategic messaging. He has also planned and executed bilateral and multinational exercises across the Indo-Pacific.
His operational experience includes pilot training in the United States, service as a U.S. Air Force exchange officer with the 317th Airlift Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, and experience as an instructor pilot in tactical airlift aircraft in both Japan and the United States.