Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Karen U. Kwiatkowski, née Unger (born September 24, 1960), is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of service. From May 2002 to February 2003, she served as a desk officer in the Pentagon's Office of Near East and South Asia Affairs (NESA), during which she witnessed and exposed the formation and intelligence manipulation by the Office of Special Plans. Kwiatkowski became a prominent whistleblower by publicly criticizing the neoconservative politicization of intelligence analysis leading up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, particularly under Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith. She detailed these experiences in a three-part series in The American Conservative in 2003 and a 2004 Salon.com article. Her career also included roles at the National Security Agency. After retirement, Kwiatkowski has worked as a writer, lecturer, teacher, and radio host, frequently commenting on foreign policy with libertarian and paleoconservative themes. She ran as a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia's 6th congressional district, holds a Ph.D., and remains active as a commentator contributing to media outlets and podcasts aligned with anti-interventionist views.