Mary Beth Long

Mary Beth Long is an American foreign policy expert, entrepreneur, and former U.S. Government official. From 2007 to 2009, Long served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA)--the Office of the Secretary of Defense office responsible for policy for the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. She was also the first woman ever to be appointed as Chair of NATO's High Level Group (HLG), the highest-level responsible for NATO's nuclear policy and reporting directly to the Secretary General of NATO. [1]

Mary Beth Long
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
In office
December 21 2007 – January 20 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byPeter Rodman
Succeeded byAlexander Vershbow
Personal details
Born1963
Political partyRepublican
Alma materPennsylvania State University (BA)
Washington and Lee University School of Law (JD)
ProfessionDiplomat

In 2016, media identified Long as Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ first choice for the position as Undersecretary of Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.[2] Long, who signed an open letter concerning President Trump's candidacy, did not receive the appointment[3] despite disavowing the open letter during a November 2016 interview claiming Trump's foreign policy had become more "nuanced."[4]

Long is the owner of law firm MB Long & Associates PLLC, which specializes in export compliance.[5] She also serves as Founder and Principal at Global Alliance Advisors and owner of Askari Defense and Intelligence, LLC. Long founded her first defense company, Metis Solutions LLC, in 2010 and sold it to private equity in 2016.[6]

Early life and education

Long is a Clearfield, Pennsylvania native and the first person in her family to attend university. She is a 1985 Honors Program Graduate, magna cum laude, of Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in communications studies and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa while at Penn State. [7] She attended the Taiwan National University and the Fu Ren Catholic University in Taiwan,[8] extending her stay to travel and study Chinese language and culture on the Mainland.[1]

In 1998, Long graduated cum laude with her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law.[9]

Career

Long served as an Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1986 to 1999. She was one of six women to be the first included in the Agency's Clandestine Operations in Dangerous Areas advanced weapons course (CODA) and received several Superior Performance Awards, including in Covert Action. [10] She served as deputy and acting chief for the Haiti Task Force and was co-chair of a joint CIA-Drug Enforcement Administration counternarcotics targeting team.[11]

After leaving the CIA, Long was an associate at Williams & Connolly[12] Law Firm from 1999 to 2004, where she specialized in civil litigation matters.

Long began her career at the Department of Defense in May 2004 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter Narcoterrorism (DASD-CN) with a budget of over $1 billion[13] and served in that role until 2005.[14] She spent considerable time in Afghanistan and was the architect of the counter narcotic police and other training.[15] From 2006 to 2007, she was dual hatted as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and DASD Counternarcotics, adding policy oversight of the Western Hemisphere, Asia, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East to her portfolio.

In December 2007, Long was confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.[16] That same year, Long was appointed Chairman of the High Level Group responsible for NATO's nuclear policy, reporting to the Secretary General of NATO.[17] Long represented DoD Policy at National Security Council at the National Security Council Deputies’ Meetings and also provided Congressional testimony on a variety of matters.[18]

In 2009, Long was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Pentagon's highest honors.

After leaving public office Long worked as outside counsel to Xe/Blackwater, which was owned by Erik Prince and paid $49.5 million to settle charges for arms trafficking violations.[19] Long founded her own company in 2009 and has been the Principal at M B Long & Associates PLLC, a law firm specializing in international compliance. In 2010, she joined NeuralIQ Government Services, Inc as Executive Vice President. She also co-founded Askari Defense and Intelligence, LLC, which had only one client, generated minimal revenue, and one year generated no revenue at all,[20] and led a defense delegation consisting of major U.S. defense corporations to Libya in 2013.[21] In 2010, Long founded Metis Solutions, a government contracting company, which she sold in 2016. [22] In 2017, Long co-founded the consulting firm Global Alliance Advisors (GAA) with partner Richard Kirkland; and Charles Thomas Burbage, Jeffrey Kohler, Vice Admiral John W. Miller, and [[Admiral William J. Fallon] joined shortly thereafter. [23]

From 2013 to 2016, Long served as a Senior Subject Matter Expert for the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO[24] and as a Senior International Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Colombia.


Affiliations

Currently, Long is a member of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid appointed by the Director of USAID[25] and is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Defense and Aerospace Export Council on conventional arms transfer policy and unmanned aerial systems policy.[26] She also serves on the advisory board for MAG Aerospace[27] and as a Cipher Brief expert.[28] Long is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). She is a member of the U.S.-UAE Business Council and serves as an advisor to a number of businesses, including GlobalEyes[29] and Fluet Huber + Hoang PLLC (FH+H) Law Firm.[30]

In 2010, Long joined the External Advisory Board of the Penn State School of International Affairs.[31]

Long is involved in the Harvard-sponsored U.S.-Israel Track II Iran negotiations,[17] the Council on Foreign Relations North Korea “Sharper Choice” report,[32] the Bi-partisan Policy Center's Syria and Middle East Project, and CSIS's Task Force on Global Forced Migration.[33] From 2006 to 2007, Long served on Penn State University's Schreyer's External Advisory Board.[34] Long has also contributed as a panelist for the McCain Institute[35] and Chatham House[36] and as a writer to The American Interest.[37]

Long was a senior advisor to the Mitt Romney presidential campaign in 2012, was a member of the campaign's Intelligence transition team,[38] and was quoted as an expert on issues of national security and foreign policy during the 2016 election campaign.[39][40] Long has appeared on Fox News, BBC, CNN, and CSP, among other global publications and media.[41] In June 2016 she was featured in Forbes magazine's Women Business Leaders.[42]

Honors and awards

In 2008, The Penn State Alumni Association named Long as an Alumni Fellow. Schreyer Honors College recognized her as an Outstanding Alumni Scholar in 2006.[31] In June 2017, Long received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Penn State University, the University's highest honor presented to its alumni.[43][44] The same year, she was appointed to the inaugural Provost's Global Advisory Council at the University.[45]

In 2010, Long was the 15th speaker in the annual Mark Luchinisky Memorial Lecture series at Penn State University.[46]


While at DoD and CIA, Long received a number of Awards, including the Patriot Award from the National Guard, both as a while serving in the Pentagon and while a civilian employer after leaving Defense.

References
  1. "Right woman for the job". The Washington Times. Washington Times. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  2. Szoldra, Paul. "Mattis is reportedly 'not happy' the White House is blocking his choice for a key staff position". Business Insider. Business Insider. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. "OPEN LETTER ON DONALD TRUMP FROM GOP NATIONAL SECURITY LEADERS". War on the Rocks. War on the Rocks. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  4. "Former Pentagon Official Has A Change Of Heart Over Trump's Candidacy". NPR. NPR. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  5. "Mary Beth Long: Of Counsel". FH+H. Fluet Huber and Hoang. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. "THE MCLEAN GROUP ADVISES METIS ON ITS RECAPITALIZATION LED BY BLUE DELTA CAPITAL PARTNERS". The McLean Group. The McLean Group. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  7. "SIA advisory board member to receive highest Penn State alumni honor". Penn State School of International Affairs. Penn State. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. McLaughlin, Vanessa. "Careers in the intelligence field — a talk by Mary Beth Long and Valerie Plame". Penn State News. Penn State. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  9. McLaughlin, Vanessa (September 29, 2015). "Careers in the intelligence field — a talk by Mary Beth Long and Valerie Plame". Penn State News. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  10. McLaughlin, Vanessa. "Careers in the intelligence field — a talk by Mary Beth Long and Valerie Plame". Penn State. Penn State. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  11. "Right woman for the job". The Washington Times. The Washington Times. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  12. "Home - Williams & Connolly LLP".
  13. "Mary Beth Long". Global Alliance Advisors, LLC. Global Alliance Advisors. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. de Borchgrave, Arnaud (June 21, 2012). "Romney Advisers Compete for 'Attention and Approval'". NewsMax. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  15. "DDRP Program Policy Archives". U.S. Department of Defense. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  16. Rucker, Philip (October 6, 2011). "Mitt Romney taps foreign policy, national security advisers". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  17. "Speakers: Mary Beth Long". The Sedona Forum. The McCain Institute. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  18. "TESTIMONY FOR MS. MARY BETH LONG PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 1000 hrs" (PDF). GlobalSecurity.org. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
  19. "Firm Formerly Known As Blackwater Fined $7.5 Million". CBSNews. CBS News. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  20. "Waltz Fixes Financial Disclosure After Consulting Company Omission". Roll Call. Roll Call. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  21. "Askari Defense and Intelligence Leads a Defense Delegation to Tripoli". Cision: PR Web. Cision. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  22. "THE MCLEAN GROUP ADVISES METIS ON ITS RECAPITALIZATION LED BY BLUE DELTA CAPITAL PARTNERS". The McClean Group LLC. The McClean Group. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  23. "Team: Mary Beth Long". Global Alliance Advisors. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  24. Greene, David (October 14, 2015). "U.S., Russia To Set Up Safety Protocols In Syria". NPR. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  25. "ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VOLUNTARY FOREIGN AID MEMBERS: 2018 ACVFA Members". USAID. USAID. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  26. "DEFENSE AND AEROSPACE EXPORT COUNCIL" (PDF). US Chamber. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  27. "The Hon. Mary Beth Long Advisor". MAG Aerospace. MAG Aerospace. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  28. "Mary Beth Long". The Cipher Brief. The Cipher Brief. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  29. "THE HONORABLE MARY BETH LONG GLOBALEYES ADVISOR". globaleyes. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  30. "Mary Beth Long Of Counsel". FH+H. luet Huber + Hoang PLLC. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  31. "Distinguished Alumni: Mary Beth Long" (PDF). Penn State Alumni Association. Penn State Alumni Association. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  32. "A Sharper Choice on North Korea". Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations Press. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  33. "Our Experts: Mary Beth Long". The Cipher Brief. The Cipher Brief. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  34. "Distinguished Alumni: Mary Beth Long '85 Com" (PDF). Penn State University. Penn State University. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  35. "NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA: IS WAR THE WAY AHEAD?". The McCain Institute for International Leadership. The McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  36. "Speakers: The Hon Mary Beth Long". Chatham House. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  37. Long, Mary Beth. "G.I. Who?". The American Interest. The American Interest. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  38. De Borchgrave, Arnaud. "Romney Advisers Compete for 'Attention and Approval'". NewsMax. NewsMax. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  39. "How Did The GOP Candidates Do On Issues Of National Security?". NPR. December 16, 2015.
  40. "NATO Allies Grapple With Appropriate Response To Paris Attacks". NPR. November 17, 2015.
  41. "Mary Beth Long". C-SPAN. C-SPAN. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  42. "Capital Region: Women Business Leaders". Forbes (21 June 2016): Promotion. 21 June 2016.
  43. "Penn State alumna looks back on career after winning Distinguished Alumni Award". Penn State News. Penn State. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  44. "Distinguished Alumni Award". Penn State Alumni Association. Penn State University. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  45. "Provost's Global Advisory Council holds inaugural meeting". Penn State News. Penn State University. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  46. "Luchinsky Lecturer: Mary Beth Long". Onward State. Penn State University. Retrieved 21 March 2010.

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