Lieutenant General Steven Rudder, USMC (Ret.), is a nonresident senior fellow in the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. 

Rudder retired as the commanding general of Marine Forces Pacific leading an organization of eighty thousand people responsible for all Marine Operations in the Asia Pacific. During his thirty-eight-year career, he commanded a Light Attack Squadron, Marine Air Group, Marine Air Wing, and Marine Pacific Forces responsible for combat operations, air and ground maintenance sustainment, training and readiness, and people development. In his position as the director of Marine Corps Legislative Affairs, he served both the marine commandant and the secretary of the Navy as their representative to the House of Representatives and Senate. He commanded the First Marine Air Wing in Japan leading all Marine aviation operations in the Pacific. He then served as the Indo-Pacific Command’s director of policy and plans, responsible for all plans and bilateral working groups with thirty-six nations in the Asia Pacific including chairing the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group with China’s People’s Liberation Army. Before assuming command of Marine Forces Pacific, he managed all Marine Aviation aircraft procurement and sustainment programs as the deputy commandant for aviation. Rudder feels honored to have served as foreign policy strategist Andrew Marshall’s military assistant in the Office of Net Assessment. Exceeding five thousand hours in aircrafts and having received the Distinguished Flying Cross in combat, his operational experience has served to ensure ally and partner relationships, field operations, and program management were grounded in leadership development and organizational teamwork.

As a teacher leader, Rudder continues to serve in the aerospace and defense industry and has a personal commitment to supporting local businesses and national veterans organizations.