ANTHONY RUGGIERO RETURNS TO THE FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES AS SENIOR FELLOW

Ruggiero served as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and National Security Council Senior Director for Counterproliferation and Biodefense

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 16, 2021 – Anthony Ruggiero, a leading expert on targeted financial sanctions, proliferation issues – especially Iran’s and North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs -, and biodefense, returns to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies today as Senior Fellow.

Ruggiero most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Counterproliferation and Biodefense.  Before being promoted to Senior Director,  he served as the NSC’s Director for North Korea.

Prior to joining the NSC, Ruggiero was a Senior Fellow at FDD focusing on North Korea’s WMD and ballistic missile threat. He came to FDD following more than 17 years in the United States Government, including as a Foreign Policy Fellow in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio, as Deputy Director and then Director of the Office of Global Affairs (OGA) in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the Department of the Treasury, and more than 13 years in various positions at the Department of State, including as Chief of the Defensive Measures and WMD Finance Team.

During Ruggiero’s previous tenure at FDD, he testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and appeared on NPR, CNN, C-Span, CBS News, ABC News, and Fox News.  His work was published by Politico, USA Today, The Hill, and other outlets; and cited by various news outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Voice of America, and The Washington Post.

Mark Dubowitz, FDD’s Chief Executive, welcomed Anthony back to FDD. “We are thrilled to welcome Anthony back to FDD.  He is an expert’s expert on some of the most concerning national security issues of our time in the areas of counterproliferation, nonproliferation, and biodefense.  He is an analyst whose research and writing will help our government develop innovative recommendations to address America’s demanding challenges.”

Ruggiero expressed his enthusiasm about returning to FDD: “I am excited to return to FDD and join the amazing team of scholars whose research help shape U.S. national security and foreign policy. It was an honor to serve our country again and lead the dedicated men and women of the NSC’s Counterproliferation and Biodefense directorate. I join as the pandemic is at a pivotal stage which must continue to be a focus of our attention. At the same time, we must stay vigilant and not take our eye off other biodefense issues in other areas of the globe. I’ll be focusing on these issues as well as those associated with the range of nonproliferation challenges posed by Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, chemical weapons use by Russia and Syria, and the use of export controls against China.”

Anthony’s biography and research are available here.

To contact FDD media relations, please email [email protected].

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