Russell Rumbaugh is a nonresident senior fellow in the Forward Defense initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Rumbaugh is the principal at R3 Strategic Consulting, where he advises organizations on defense institutions, budgets, and acquisition. He is also an adjunct research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses and holds advisory positions with multiple defense firms.

Rumbaugh previously served for over two decades in senior positions across the federal government, where he shaped US national security resourcing at the highest levels. Most recently, he was the assistant secretary of the Navy for financial management and comptroller, responsible for managing the Department of the Navy’s annual budget exceeding $250 billion. He also served twice in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, including as special assistant to the director.

Prior to his executive appointments, Rumbaugh served as the defense and international affairs analyst on the Senate Budget Committee, military legislative assistant for Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN) on the House Armed Services Committee, and as a military analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. Earlier in his career, he directed the Stimson Center’s  Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense program and served as an analyst in defense acquisition policy at the Congressional Research Service.

A Nebraska native, Rumbaugh began his career as a US Army infantry officer, earning a Ranger Tab and Expert Infantryman’s Badge. He completed his master’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago, and has taught graduate courses at Georgetown, George Mason, and the University of Maryland. He has published widely, including in the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, Joint Force Quarterly, and the New York Times. He lives in the Washington area with his wife, Dr. Candice Chen.