Phil Pournelle is a writer, wargame designer, analyst, and former naval officer. He served as a Surface Warfare Officer and analyst in the Navy for 26 years. He served on cruisers, destroyers, amphibious ships, and a high-speed vessel. His last uniform assignment was a 5-year tour at the legendary Office of Net Assessment (ONA). He is now a senior operations analyst and wargame designer at Group W supporting the Joint Staff and USMC. He has a master’s degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He has published several military-themed short stories and contributed to Jerry Pournelle’s final novel Janissaries IV: Mamelukes with David Weber. He is currently working on the next installment of the Janissaries series.