Michael Abonyi

Michael Abonyi is senior director of operations and strategy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He previously served as FDD’s director of events.

Michael’s diverse background spans military service, start-up operations, and foreign policy. In his various roles, he has served as chief of staff to the CEO of a tech company, managed COVID testing operations across the Washington, DC metro area at the height of the pandemic, and established logistics networks for humanitarian aid while on the ground in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in spring 2022. Prior to that, his military service began at the U.S. Naval Academy before leaving Annapolis in 2014 to serve as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces ahead of Operation Protective Edge.

Michael earned a master’s degree in international relations and politics from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in political science and history from the University of New Mexico. His published research focuses on armed non-state actors — from their use by states like the Islamic Republic of Iran to their global financial networks. He is an alumnus of the Security and Strategy fellowship at the Alexander Hamilton Society.