FDD ANNOUNCES NEW CLASS FOR ITS 2023 NATIONAL SECURITY FELLOWS PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 13, 2023 – The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) announced its class of 2023 National Security Fellows. The class is comprised of bipartisan, mid-career, national-security practitioners with experience in government, the armed forces, communications, and the private sector.  

FDD’s National Security Fellows Program (NSFP) is a 12-month program that seeks to train the next generation of U.S. national security leaders by providing them with mentorship from FDD experts; programming that includes off-the-record conversations with high-level government officials, policy experts, and ambassadors; and leadership development skill-building workshops and networking opportunities. The fellows discuss pressing national security issues such as great power competition, global terrorist networks, cyber warfare, and the importance of homeland security through projected military power abroad. Fellows are also given the opportunity to apply for FDD’s National Security Trip to Israel, a seven-day intensive national security themed trip which includes high-level meetings with government officials; current and former Israeli and American national security practitioners; journalists; military officials; and professionals in the private sector.  

This year’s class includes congressional staffers, members of the military, executive branch officials, consultants, and experts from think tanks. They join FDD’s distinct National Security Alumni Network community of over 500 mid-career national security practitioners.   

“We are pleased to welcome this incredibly talented group of bipartisan national security practitioners into our 2023 National Security Fellows Program,” said Clifford D. May, FDD’s founder and president. “This year’s fellows boast a wide range of professional and political backgrounds, and all share a unique commitment to U.S. leadership and national security. Investing in the next generation of America’s national security leaders is a key component of FDD’s strategic mission and we look forward to providing them with opportunities to grow and succeed professionally.”  

More information about FDD’s NSFP can be found at https://www.fdd.org/national-security-fellows-program/     

2023 National Security Fellows  

• Steven Arango, U.S. Marine Corps  
• Lauren Barney, U.S. Department of State  
• Phillip Bergeron, U.S. Air Force  
• Jack Bianchi, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments  
• Phillip Bluestein, Office of Naval Intelligence  
• Stephen Boyd, Office of U.S. Senator James Lankford (OK)  
• Paris Cervantes, Office of Naval Intelligence  
• Ashley Cook, U.S. Air Force  
• Kendall Dehnel, Office of U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA)  
• Bradley Erickson, U.S. Army  
• Andrew Ertl, Office of Industrial Base Policy  
• David Giralt, U.S. Army  
• Isaac Harris, U.S. Navy  
• Nadia Harris, Department of Defense 
• James Hesson, U.S. Air Force  
• Ian Hurdle, U.S. Air Force  
• Douglas Lewandowski, U.S. Air Force  
• Jimmy Loomis, U.S. Department of State  
• Emily Manning, Office of U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (TN)  
• Arthur Miller, U.S. Army  
• Quentin Miller, Office of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH)  
• Abigail Moore, Department of Defense  
• Gabriel Noronha, Polaris National Security  
• Ashley OKeefe, Department of the Air Force  
• Brian Peterson, U.S. Space Force  
• Omri Rahmil, Avisa Partners  
• Chase Sauvage, Office of U.S. Representative August Pfluger (TX)  
• Alexis Shklar, Deloitte Consulting LLP  
• Adrienne Spero, U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence  
• Gil Thompson, Office of U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (IL)  
• Joseph Tomczak, U.S. Air Force  
• Xiyue Wang, U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party 
• David Wilezol, Seventh Floor Strategies  

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

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About the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:  

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan policy institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Connect with FDD on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.