Colin Timmerman is a Senior Associate with the Defense & National Security Practice at The Asia Group, where he provides strategic analysis of geopolitical trends and U.S. foreign policy to support defense clients in strengthening their strategic foothold in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prior to joining The Asia Group, Colin worked as the Legislative Affairs Officer for China and Northeast Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace. In this role, he advised senior experts and Institute leadership on congressional Indo-Pacific policy priorities and managed relations with key Members of Congress and congressional policymaking staff. Previously, Colin spent over four years working in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, serving most recently as a Senior Legislative Assistant for defense and foreign affairs for Congresswoman Young Kim, where he focused on Indo-Pacific security issues, strengthening U.S. alliance and partnership coordination in the region, and enhancing U.S.-Japan-South Korea relations.
During his tenure with the U.S. House of Representatives, Colin was selected to join the 26th Class of the Mansfield Fellowship Program. His one-year fellowship in Tokyo, Japan included placements within Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and the National Diet, where he developed deep expertise regarding Japan’s national security policymaking process, U.S.-Japan alliance coordination, and Japan-South Korea relations.
An Iowa native, Colin received a BA in Political Science from Drake University, with Minors in Japanese Language, East Asian Studies, and Data Analytics. He maintains a working proficiency in Japanese (JLPT N2 certification) and studied Japanese language, politics, history, religion, and literature at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Japan. In his spare time, Colin enjoys running, reading Vince Flynn novels, and cheering on the University of Iowa Hawkeyes Football Team.