Arnold L. Punaro

Arnold Punaro is chief executive officer of The Punaro Group, a Washington-based firm that specializes in federal budget and market analysis, business strategy, acquisition due diligence, government relations, and business risk analysis and compliance. He consults for a broad array of Fortune 100 companies and has been recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential individuals in U.S. Defense.

Arnold’s long-standing experience as a trusted leader in the national security policy arena began during his decades of service on Capitol Hill including his time as the Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. After Capitol Hill, Arnold took on a private sector role as an executive vice president at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) where he was responsible for all of its Washington operations. A retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General and Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, Arnold continued his service on the civilian side as the Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) and on the Defense Business Board (DBB). He spent many years as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Center for a New American Security and the Advisory Council of the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

A proud Georgia Bulldog, Arnold currently chairs the board of the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and serves on the board of the Georgia Institute of Technology Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. He is the author of On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington’s Beltway, published in October 2016, and The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force. His third book, If Confirmed: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process, will be published Spring 2024.