Before my election to Congress, I proudly served for fourteen years with the CIA and the Department of Defense. Following the 9/11 attacks, I was recruited to join the Central Intelligence Agency as a Middle East analyst and I served a total of three tours in Iraq, alongside our nation’s military and diplomats. I served in the office of the first Director of National Intelligence, and in the White House under both President Bush and President Obama. At the Pentagon, I served as the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs where I was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on security strategy and policy issues related to NATO, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Now, as a Member of Congress, I sit on the House Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee. 

I believe that the United States plays a unique and vital role in the world. Keeping Americans safe at home and abroad starts with a strong defense, but military power alone is not an effective strategy in a world of increasingly globalized and networked challenges. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, I remain focused on ensuring the United States is ready to confront both existing international challenges and new threats, from terrorism to sophisticated cyber-attacks. To do so, the United States must make investments in its military, intelligence, and diplomatic power – and continue to work with allies and partners around the globe to confront common challenges.