Mary Beth Long

Mary Beth Long is a foreign policy expert and former us government official, whose years of experience as a high-placed spy for the CIA warrant a unique geopolitical insight. Long started her career for the CIA in 1986, working as an operations officer against terrorism, nuclear proliferation and drugs and targeting individual foreign adversaries. In 1999, Long left the CIA and became an associate at the law firm Williams & Connoly. In 2004, she began her career within the Department of Defense as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter Narcoterrorism. In 2005, she became the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and from 2007 to 2009 she served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs — being the first woman on this post. After leaving the government, Long founded her own law and advisory firm MB Long & Associates. In 2021 she was appointed as Professor of Practice at the School of International Affairs at Penn State University.