Mr. Hanson leads the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute’s Operations Analysis Division, which applies expertise from the fields of operations research, systems engineering, and the management sciences to address a diverse range of problems involving the effectiveness and efficiency of homeland security operations. Mr. Hanson previously led HSSAI's Threat and Risk Analysis Division, managing studies related to the application of risk management principles for a variety of departmental clients. 

He completed a 27-year career in the U.S. Army, serving at tactical, operational, and strategic levels. His areas of expertise include national security strategy, strategic planning, operations analysis, and risk analysis.

Mr. Hanson has experience with operational planning, doctrine development, and force structure studies, including homeland defense requirements. He served as the chief of staff, Center for Army Analysis, and was the Army’s lead analyst for the coordination and conduct of analytical studies in support of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review. He served three years as a faculty member teaching national security and national military strategy at the National War College.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Mr. Hanson holds a master of science in strategic studies from the Army War College and a master of science in operations research systems analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is also a member of the Military Operations Research Society. Mr. Hanson was a member of the HSSAI team that received Analytic Services Inc.’s first annual Oliver Award, recognizing the potential impact of developments made in the homeland security risk management field.