Phillip Carter

COO, General Counsel

Phillip Carter is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Caerus. A former Army officer and lawyer, Phil is an expert at assessing complex legal issues, applying the rule of law in stability operations, and managing operations in the public and private sectors.

Prior to joining Caerus, Phil practiced government contracts and national security law with McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP.  He served on the Obama campaign as its national veterans director, and served in the Obama administration as the senior Pentagon official responsible for detainee policy.  Previously, Phil served nine years as an Army military police and civil affairs officer, including a year in Iraq where he advised the provincial police, judiciary and prisons in Iraq’s Diyala province.

In addition to his work at Caerus, Phil is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, where his work focuses on veterans, military personnel and civil-military relations issues.  He writes on law and national security for a number of publications including Slate, the Washington Post, and others.  He also serves on the editorial board of the Journal for National Security Law & Policy; the veterans advisory council for the Jericho Project, a non-profit organization in New York City devoted to ending homelessness through innovative supportive housing programs; and on the board of directors for the Army Heritage Center Foundation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.