Lew Nescott, Jr., M.Div., M.A.R.

Lewis Nescott headshot
Adjunct Faculty


Criminal Justice Department
Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice & Forensic Sciences
Education

M.Div., Yale Divinity School
M.A.R., Yale Divinity School (joint study at Yale Law School in Constitutional Theory, Antitrust Law, and Law and Religion)
B.S., Ohio University

About Lew

A veteran national security analyst, Lew currently serves as an independent journalist covering stories from the intersection of politics, religion, and national security. A member of the Foreign Press Association and National Press Club, he currently holds a Top Secret/SCI security clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Following a 20-year career at Yale, Lew established an atmospherics information gathering program in 2010-2011 supporting the Marine Expeditionary Forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He received a citation for his work from the U.S. Marine Corps Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence (C-2).

From 2012-2016, Lew was a member of an intelligence unit at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, tasked with protecting American interests and assets in the region. During his multiple tours, he delivered hundreds of high-threat briefings and developed benchmark surveys on sectarian violence, fighter movements, and attacks on commercial infrastructure. Lew was recognized by the Embassy’s Regional Security Office and Office of Security Cooperation for providing outstanding intelligence and force protection support during times of increased security threats.

From 2018-2019, he served as a senior intelligence analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Middle East/Africa Regional Center (MARC) in Washington, D.C.

An avid trekker and former high-altitude mountaineer, he has summited Denali (20,310’), Mt. Elbrus (18,510’), Mt. Damavand (18,403’), and Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341’).

Selected Media Exclusives

Ukrainian Orthodox primate: ‘We are called to stop this evil’ (Religion News Service, May 31, 2022)

Russian priest speaks out against war in Ukraine despite threats (The Washington Post, April 8, 2022, with Jack Jenkins)

‘A religious politician’: Head of US Ukrainian Orthodox Church slams Moscow Patriarch Kirill, Putin (Religion News Service, February 25, 2022)

Longtime U.S. House chaplain on Jan. 6, the dangers of ‘apocalyptic thinking’ and why there’s room to be pro-choice in Catholicism (The Washington Post, January 5, 2022, with Michelle Boorstein)

U.S. Senate chaplain “very optimistic” on passage of gun safety legislation (June 16, 2022, transcript available upon request)

Army Chaplain describes Russian church in Ukraine as ‘fifth column’ providing targeting and intelligence to enemy forces (Kyiv, May 17, 2022, transcript available upon request)

Unarmed and holding cross over his head, Russian troops gun down chaplain’s brother at checkpoint (Kyiv, May 17, 2022, transcript available upon request)

Bucha priest details life and death under Russian occupation (Bucha, May 16, 2022, transcript available upon request)

Climbing Iran (The New Haven Register Blog, October 3-19, 2006)

Courses Taught
  • NSEC 4458 Introduction to the U.S. Intelligence Community
  • NSEC 1102 Reporting in National Security
  • NSEC 1100 Introduction to National Security Studies