The first-ever Senate-confirmed female Assistant Secretary of Defense, Mary Beth Long worked directly with Secretaries of Defense Rumsfeld and Gates on the Department’s highest priority issues, and represented the Secretary of Defense at the National Security Council and the White House. Ms. Long uniquely combines senior-most Defense, Security, Intelligence and legal skills with over two decades of international experience, including successful complex foreign negotiations on behalf of both the government and commercial sectors.

She has worked closely with the highest levels of leadership at State, Treasury, CIA, DNI, and NSA, as well as with international organizations representing the Secretary of Defense. She was Secretary Gates’ principal advisor on defense and security issues in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ms. Long has more than a decade of operations experience at the Central Intelligence Agency where she worked on targeting narcotics, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and terrorism. A practicing attorney, Ms. Long has expertise in export compliance, regulatory regimes, securities regulations, and due diligence from her tenure at Williams and Connelly, LLC.