Brett M. Holmgren

Brett M. Holmgren was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research on September 15, 2021.

Prior to assuming this position as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Holmgren served for 14 years in key leadership positions in the Intelligence Community (IC), the White House and at the Department of Defense, as well as three years in the private sector.

During the Obama administration, Mr. Holmgren served on the National Security Council staff as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Director for Counterterrorism. At the Department of Defense, he served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was responsible for the intelligence, cybersecurity, technology and special operations portfolios.

Mr. Holmgren also served for eight years in the IC as a senior analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and, prior to that, as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. As an analyst, he deployed to warzones to provide support to counterterrorism operations.

Mr. Holmgren most recently served as Deputy for Nominations on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and prior to that as Vice President for Technology Risk Management at Capital One Financial from 2017 to 2020.

Mr. Holmgren is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Director of National Intelligence Superior Service Award, the CIA Director’s Award, the CIA Hostile Action Service Medal, and the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award. He holds a B.A. in political science and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a M.A. in global security studies, summa cum laude, from the Johns Hopkins University.