Alex Plitsas is a nonresident senior fellow with the Middle East Programs’ Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, and leads the Initiative’s Counter-Terrorism Project designed to take a deep dive into the future of global terrorism threats and counter-terrorism efforts. Additionally, he is currently a principal and industry director for aerospace and defense and high-tech electronics at Providence Consulting Group where he oversees and leads industry-focused teams who conduct business and digital-transformation projects for enterprise resource-planning software systems.

Previously, Plitsas served as the director for strategic operations for a high-tech electronics company servicing the aerospace and defense industry and as a chief of staff at the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates. He completed his federal service as the chief of sensitive activities for special operations and combating terrorism in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he oversaw policy and operations for compartmented plans and programs. He was also detailed from the Pentagon to the Intelligence Community, representing the secretary of defense as a senior member of the White House Hostage Policy Review Team. Plitsas also worked as a strategic planner for the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, where he was deployed to Afghanistan. He also deployed twice to Iraq, once in uniform leading a psychological operations team during “the surge” and fighting in the Battle of Sadr City, and a second time as a civilian working in the Special Programs Office at United State Forces–Iraq Headquarters. Plitsas has also worked as a program manager and contractor for several tier-1 aerospace and defense companies, such as Northrop Grumman, in between stints in the federal government and military service.

Plitsas has written on national-security topics for a number of national publications. He has traveled extensively to over thirty countries in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Plitsas is an elected justice of the peace and serves as fire commissioner. He completed his undergraduate studies in political science at American University and attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins University for global security studies. He holds a certificate in emergency management from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a Six Sigma Black Belt from Central Connecticut State University.