WASHINGTON, DC – Today the Atlantic Council announced that Mr. Christopher Skaluba will join the Atlantic Council as Director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative (TSI) in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Mr. Skaluba served for 15 years as a civilian defense official in the United States Department of Defense and, since leaving government service, has worked as a Washington-based Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. At the Council, Skaluba will direct the Scowcroft Center’s transatlantic security portfolio, with responsibility for strategy and policy analysis concerning NATO and European security — core issues of the Council’s founding mission.

Atlantic Council Senior Vice President and Director of the Scowcroft Center Barry Pavel said, “We are extremely fortunate to have Chris Skaluba joining our team to lead our core work on NATO and European security, the stakes of which seem to grow more significant by the month. In this turbulent era of great-power rivalry, Chris’s leadership will be essential to continuing the Council’s efforts to strengthen the United States’ transatlantic security bonds with our closest allies and to render actionable policy and strategy recommendations.”

From 2001 to 2016, Skaluba served as a career civil servant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, rising from a Presidential Management Fellow to the Senior Executive Service. His government service was highlighted by a lengthy tenure as the Principal Director for European and NATO Policy, where he formulated and implemented U.S. defense policy for Europe. In this role, he conducted defense relationships with 31 European nations, helping to launch the European Deterrence Initiative in the wake of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Skaluba frequently represented the Department of Defense at bilateral, multilateral, and interagency negotiations associated with transatlantic security, developing strong relationships with NATO allies and partners.

In other government roles, Skaluba served as the Principal Director for Strategy and Force Development, where he was responsible for assessing the future of international security and crafting the Defense Department’s strategies for navigating that future in order to develop a prepared, capable, and effective US military. Prior to this assignment, Skaluba served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy in the gap between political appointees. In earlier tours, Skaluba worked on secondment to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, where he managed London’s defense relations with Japan and South Korea, and at the U.S. Mission to NATO, where he analyzed NATO capabilities.

“I am ecstatic to join the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council,” said Skaluba following his appointment. “The centrality of the Atlantic Council to the advancement of transatlantic security is well-established, as is the quality of analysis conducted under the auspices of the Scowcroft Center and TSI. At a moment in history when the value of our traditional alliances and institutions is increasingly questioned, the policy community has a responsibility to better explain the role of organizations like NATO to the public while simultaneously generating ideas that make such institutions responsive and effective tools of statecraft. I am grateful to be joining such a consequential and highly-accomplished team.”

Skaluba is a graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he earned a Master of Arts in International Relations. He also holds a Master of Arts in English from Syracuse and a Bachelors’ degree in English and History from Penn State. Among his professional honors, Skaluba was twice awarded the Defense Department’s Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, was chosen Leader of the Year by the action offers of the Pentagon’s Policy organization, and was honored with the Order of the Cross of the Terra Mariana by the Republic of Estonia.

The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world. The Center honors General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy of service and embodies his ethos of nonpartisan commitment to the cause of security, support for US leadership in cooperation with allies and partners, and dedication to the mentorship of the next generation of leaders.

For any questions or to request an interview with Chris Skaluba, please contact us at press@AtlanticCouncil.org.