Colin Kahl has just been named Vice President Joseph Biden’s national security adviser. Kahl previously served in the Obama administration at the Department of Defense, and left in December 2011 when he moved to the Center for New American Security.

Among other duties at CNAS, Kahl oversaw a three-part series about the nuclearization of Iran. In the final installment (which I wrote about in May 2013), “If All Else Fails: The Challenges of Containing a Nuclear-Armed Iran,” he laid out the case for containment. It remains to be seen whether this put him in opposition to a commander in chief who insists his policy is preventing Iran from getting the bomb.