Kayla Williams

Nov 25, 2024 | usnews.com | Kayla Williams |Norman Ornstein |Laura Mannweiler |Bill Browder

“Send in the linguist,” came the call over the radio. It was April 2003, and I was an Arabic-speaking U.S. military intelligence soldier assigned to support American infantrymen conducting combat operations during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. We were clearing a school, checking for weapons caches or enemy fighters hidden inside. I entered the building and found a woman teacher sobbing hysterically. “I am afraid of the men with guns,” she told me.

Oct 24, 2024 | ajc.com | Kayla Williams

Looking at photos of Iraqis voting on Jan. 30, 2005, proudly lifting ink-stained fingers proving they participated in a free and fair election for the first time in years, I cried. To them, this was more than a vote. It was perhaps the first time in their lives the government valued their voice. Their voter turnout was 60% that year, despite the very real risk of violence. During the 2004 U.S. presidential election, I was still stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Oct 18, 2024 | newsweek.com | Kayla Williams

"You were so brave, honey," I reassured my 7-year-old daughter as she re-told the story of her father collapsing to the ground in front of her during a seizure caused by the traumatic brain injury (TBI) he had sustained in Iraq 15 years before. It was her way of processing the trauma, and my job was to bury my own feelings to support her as she worked through hers.

Sep 18, 2024 | triblive.com | Kayla Williams

When asked whether he would consider privatized health care for veterans, vice presidential candidate JD Vance replied, “I think I’d consider it.” While he acknowledged that there are areas where the Department of Veterans Affairs works well and rejected the idea of completely eliminating our second-largest federal agency, Vance doubled down on the Trump campaign’s desire to expand the use of community care — regardless of what that would mean for veterans and the nation as a whole.

Jun 17, 2024 | securityinfowatch.com | Kayla Williams

As the threat and regulatory landscapes continue to evolve rapidly, the CISO role must adapt to keep organizations secure and compliant. A huge part of maintaining security and compliance depends on companies’ abilities to communicate risks and the vital role of the CISO to the rest of the organization, which 63% of CISOs report they’re failing to do, according to research from Devo.