Ernest Oliver Joseph McMillan (born 18 December 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama) is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies. Before joining INSS he had extensive experience managing U.S. security policy toward the Near East and South Asia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including three years as principal director of the Near Eastern regional office from 1998-2001.
He was previously country director for a variety of countries in the Arab world as well as the former Soviet Union, and served as principal director of the office of Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs in 1997-98. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Alabama, did his graduate work at Vanderbilt University, and is a 1992 distinguished graduate of the National War College. A career civil servant with over 28 years of service in the Department of Defense, he is a two-time recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service.
McMillan is the editor of 'In the Same Light as Slavery: Building a Global Antiterrorist Consensus' (National Defense University Press, 2006) and the author of a number of articles on defense strategy and regional affairs, including 'Saudi Arabia: Culture, Legitimacy and Political Reform,' Global Affairs (Winter 1991-92); 'Talking to the Enemy: Negotiations in Wartime,' Comparative Strategy (Oct-Dec 1992); 'U.S.-Saudi Relations: Rebuilding the Strategic Consensus,' Strategic Forum, No. 186 (Nov 2001); 'Building an Iraqi Defense Force,' Strategic Forum, No. 198 (June 2003); 'Apocalyptic Terrorism: The Case for Preventive Action,' Strategic Forum, No. 212 (December 2004); 'Saudi Arabia and Iraq: Oil, Security, and an Enduring Rivalry', U.S. Institute of Peace Special Report 157 (January 2006); and chapters in the book 'The United States and the Persian Gulf: Reshaping Security Strategy for the Post-Containment Era' (February 2003).
McMillan is also involved with the American Heraldry Society as the Director of Research.