John McGuinness Research Fellow

John McGuinness has over 30 years of experience working in the U.S. federal government in a wide range of military, diplomatic and intelligence assignments until his retirement at the end of 2009. He spent the last nine years of his career working in the Intelligence Community, with the last five years devoted to the nexus between counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation. From July 1998 to June 2000 he worked as a politico-military advisor in the Directorate for NATO Policy at the Department of Defense. For the 50th anniversary of NATO he coordinated for the Office of the Secretary of Defense the revision of NATO’s Strategic Concept and the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe to ensure coverage of NATO-specific interests. Other extensive experience included a decade of work on UN scientific, environmental, economic and social issues, including developing proposals for UN organizational reform, and several years with the CIA addressing the transfer of militarily significant technology as Executive Secretary of the Committee on Exchanges (COMEX). He also spent over a decade in the Foreign Service, with assignments to Madrid as a political-military officer and to Izmir as a vice consul, and served for three years as a Marine anti-aircraft and logistics officer including a tour in Vietnam as a materiel officer with the Headquarters Squadron of the First Marine Aircraft Wing. During his retirement, he has spent twelve years teaching as an adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at Northern Virginia Community College.