Thomas Spencer Sexton

“Spencer” Sexton joined the American Foreign Policy Council in April 2024 and is currently a Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies. He is also an active-duty logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps. His work focuses on East Asia national security, Chinese foreign policy, and the operational architecture required to sustain forward presence and alliance cooperation in contested environments. Additionally, he has a thematic interest in fragile states, with prior research on Coastal West Africa and Syria. Before joining AFPC, Spencer consulted for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy at the US Dept. of Defense, and previously served on the JET Program in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. He holds a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from East Tennessee State University. He speaks Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.