Alex J. Plitsas

Alex Plitsas is a U.S. Army Bronze Star recipient who served in Iraq and as a defense civilian intelligence officer in Afghanistan before completing his Pentagon career in special operations policy. When Kabul fell in August 2021, he coordinated a civilian volunteer evacuation effort — working phones and secure channels from Fairfield, Connecticut — that helped more than 10,000 U.S. citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies reach safety. Connecticut's governor later appointed him to the state's Afghan Refugee Resettlement Task Force. He remains a CNN national security analyst and an Atlantic Council senior fellow. In January 2026, he was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame.