PhD Student Bios

Christopher Nelson

U.S. History: Military History, Civil-Military Relations, War and Memory

Chris Nelson is a PhD student in History at George Mason University. He is a former strategist and strategic analyst for the United States Marine Corps. He is currently a professional wargamer and analyst at the Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare.

His research interests include institutional memory and the relationship between the American public and the United States Marine Corps in the post-Vietnam era.

Selected Publications

Plan ₿ - A Service-Framed Examination of Economic Warfare (Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University Press, 2025)

"The Power of Information: Reflecting on the Tet Offensive of 1968," Marine Corps Gazette, Vol . 104, no. 10 (October 2020): 81-82.

"The Tet Offensive 1968: A 50-Year Reflection on the Impact of Information, Influence, and Culture" Case Studies, Lejeune Leadership Institute, 2018.

Courses Taught

Theory and Nature of War (MCU CSCDEP, 8901)

Education

M.A. History, 2023, George Mason University

B.A. Studio Art, 1999, University of Texas at Austin

Recent Presentations

"Purpose Before Consequence: Wargaming Assessment in Professional Military Education." Panel, Wargaming in PME Symposium, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA, 12 August 2026.

"War at Sea: The 1939 'Phoney War'." Invited Lecture, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, 16 July 2026.

"Sea Lines of Communication and Economic Warfare Implications." Panel, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, 22 January 2025.

"MAGTF 101 - The Marine Corps, Korea, and the Construction of Institutional Identity." Invited Lecture, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, 18 April 2025.

"In Memoriam: Memorialization of the 1983 Beirut Bombing, a Digital Project." Invited Presentation, Marine Corps History Division, Quantico, VA, 25 April 2025.