May Virtual Speaker Series

GUEST SPEAKER:

CAPT (Ret) Todd Sawhill 

GUEST SPEAKER'S BACKGROUND:

Todd is a retired Naval Intelligence executive with over 30 years of experience leading high-impact, globally distributed teams in intelligence, targeting, and strategic operations. He has supported senior national security leaders at the highest levels, including Combatant Commanders, Secretaries of Defense, and National Security Council policymakers.

Todd's leadership directly influenced crisis response planning, operational risk analysis, and systems vulnerability assessments for many of the nation’s most sensitive defense missions. He specializes in navigating complexity under pressure—driving insight-based decisions in contested environments, including logistics networks under threat.

He spent six years living and operating in Southwest Asia and the CENTCOM region, developing deep expertise in regional dynamics and great power competition, particularly countering Iranian Malign Activities and Chinese influence across the Middle East and Horn of Africa.

Todd also led the establishment of a 150-person global team tasked by the NSC and Secretary of Defense to counter the proliferation of unmanned technologies—a rapidly evolving challenge in both defense and commercial sectors.

As a strategic advisor and speaker, he has briefed heads of state, allied defense ministers, and industry leaders and contributed to national media to provide analysis on geopolitical risk and military strategy.

He holds a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.A. in National Security Studies with an emphasis on Strategic Deterrence from the U.S. Naval War College. His affiliations include INSA, NDIA, AFCEA, and the OSS Society.