Lauren Speranza is a national security expert with a decade of experience working in government and think tanks.
Prior to joining BGS, Ms. Speranza was at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). As Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, she coordinated across the Department to shape and advance key policy and intelligence initiatives. She advised on a wide range of global policy matters from supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression to managing conflict in the Middle East to bolstering deterrence against China. While at DoD, Ms. Speranza also served in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, where she worked on implementation of the 2022 National Defense Strategy, emerging technology policy, force posture, and security cooperation with allies and partners.
Before serving in government, Ms. Speranza worked in several prominent think tanks, specializing in European and NATO issues. She was the Director of the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program and Defense Tech Initiative at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). She was also the Deputy Director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, where she worked extensively with NATO on public diplomacy efforts. Ms. Speranza has published analysis on hybrid warfare, NATO adaptation, and defense technology issues and briefed senior policymakers at NATO, the European Union, and across the U.S. Government and Congress. Her work has been featured in several media outlets, including the BBC, Washington Post, CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Bloomberg, Defense One, Foreign Policy, Defense News, and Newsweek.
Ms. Speranza has also been a fellow with the Atlantik-Brücke, Hertog Foundation, and NATO 2030 Global Fellowship programs. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Elon University with a BA in Political Science and International Studies. In Brussels, Belgium, she completed an MA in International Security from the University of Kent, earning the award for best post-grad performance.
