Christopher Zember

Director, Center for Technology and National Security Policy at National Defense University

Location
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Industry
Defense & Space
Current
  1. National Defense University
Previous
  1. National Defense University,
  2. Department of Defense Information Analysis Centers,
  3. Acuity Consulting, Inc.
Education
  1. American University
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Summary

Christopher Zember is Director of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, a DOD think tank focused on the intersection of technology and national security. His prior positions include work in Defense research and engineering, national security policy, Defense planning, and intelligence analysis, with posts both inside and outside government, in the U.S. and abroad.

Experience

  • Director, Center for Technology and National Security Policy

    National Defense University
    – Present (4 months)

    CTNSP is a Department of Defense research center focused on the intersection of technology and national security policy. As DOD senior leaders respond to a trend that has seen R&D shift from governments to the private sector, CTNSP is uniquely positioned to tap into the expertise of the military, academia, and global technology markets. It's dual role as a DOD organization and an academic institution provide access to restricted government information, as well as cutting edge research coming from both academia and the private sector. Situated at the National Defense University, CTNSP has immediate access to senior military leaders, as well as the diverse student population, representing mid- and senior-level commanders with significant recent experience in military operations, helping ensure that CTNSP's research is grounded in operational insights and relevance.

  • Co-Director, Center for Technology and National Security Policy

    National Defense University
    – (3 months)

    CTNSP is a Department of Defense research center focused on the intersection of technology and national security policy. Mr. Zember is on a 3-month assignment to shape a new strategic and operating plan for CTNSP that leverages its unique assets to support senior leader decision making. As both a government organization and a university, CTNSP is uniquely positioned to help DOD expand outreach and access to academia and global technology markets.

  • Director

    Department of Defense Information Analysis Centers
    – (2 years 10 months)

    Responsible for operational management and policy guidance for 8 Information Analysis Centers (IACs), which annually conduct nearly $2 billion in technical research and analysis. With more than 7,000 scientists and engineers in 49 states, IACs provide strategic studies and build communities of interest in areas of critical importance to the DOD, including cyber operations, weapon systems, and homeland defense.

    Mr. Zember launched the Technology Domain Awareness (TDA) initiative, which expands awareness and application of commercial technology investments to enable better, faster, cheaper Defense capability development.

    Mr. Zember made several key announcements regarding the TDA initiative on Veteran's Day 2014 - watch his keynote at the Defense Energy Summit at http://iac.dtic.mil/tda.html#des

  • Deputy Director

    Department of Defense Information Analysis Centers
    – (2 years 10 months)

  • Manager

    Acuity Consulting, Inc.
    – (4 years)

    Led Strategy and Operations consulting practice for management consulting firm; served as voting member of corporate executive team, responsible for corporate direction and management; provided management and supervision across a broad variety of disciplines to support staff and firm contractual obligations

  • Research Associate

    Project on National Security Reform
    – (5 months)

    Served as member of core research team on project designed to update the National Security Act of 1947 and realign the supporting national security infrastructure.

  • Chief, Product Line Liaison Office

    National Security Agency
    – (6 years)

    Led joint office responsible for forging partnerships with national-level intelligence organizations and international partners.

  • Inter-Cultural Liaison

    Centre Social les Balustres
    – (1 year)

    Facilitated cultural and information sharing between political refugees from throughout Eastern Europe and North Africa

Publications

  • A New Defense Innovation Base

    War on the Rocks

    On today’s battlefields, the Department of Defense (DoD) must contend not only with the friction and fog of tactical engagements, but also with the complexities of a threat environment in constant technological flux. Against this backdrop, innovation fueled by commercial market forces in places like Silicon Valley has come to play an increasingly decisive role. Recognizing the opportunities and challenges of the contemporary innovation environment, the DoD Information Analysis Centers (IACs) are undertaking a new initiative called Technology Domain Awareness (TDA), which uses knowledge of the global technology commons to create a resilient defense technology enterprise that fully incorporates the high tech outputs of the commercial marketplace. In this first of three articles, we explore the underlying factors and goals underwriting the TDA mission to develop a robust defense innovation base that cooperatively aligns the non-defense research and development (R&D) marketplace with emerging defense capability needs.

    Authors:

  • Innovation Warfare

    War on the Rocks
    Authors:

  • Project Vulcan: Special Ops and the Tech Innovation End Game

    War on the Rocks

    Technology itself is a commodity with value creation occurring through the rapid identification and deployment of novel applications that are greatly superior to legacy products and methods or what the venture capital community refers to as “killer apps.” More than ever before, DOD’s future technology edge will be predicated on its ability to sense and exploit these killer apps ahead of the threat.

    Authors:

  • Technology Domain Awareness: Building the Defense Innovation Base

    Georgetown Security Studies Review

    This article outlines the innovation imperative facing the U.S. Department of Defense and details
    current and future plans pursued by the DOD Information Analysis Centers to develop a defense
    innovation operating system that sustains the United States’ military-technology edge in the face
    of persistent operational, technological, and fiscal volatility and uncertainty.

    Authors:

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