MAJ Heather Jebb Instructor of American Politics heather.jebb@westpoint.edu Biography Major Heather Newstrom Jebb is an Instructor of American Politics in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy at West Point. She commissioned as a Military Intelligence officer in 2012. Her past assignments include platoon leader, company commander, Battalion operations officer, and Group S2. In 2013, Heather deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, serving as a deputy intelligence officer for 1-75 Ranger Regiment. She deployed again to Afghanistan in 2014 as a platoon leader. She holds an Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a B.S. in Comparative Politics and Russian from West Point. Heather and her husband, Ben, have two children, Carter and Charlotte. Ongoing Research Projects "Military Experience and the Use of Force: Congressional AUMF Votes among Combat and Non-Combat Veteran Legislators." This paper analyzes roll call votes authorizing the use of military force abroad in six different Congresses. Employing original research into the deployment experience of Congressional Military veterans, we examine the effect of deploying to a combat zone on voting patterns compared to military service without a combat deployment. We find that combat theater exposure increases the likelihood that a member of Congress will vote to authorize the use of force.