Distinguished Fellow
The Wilson Center
Mary Beth Long is an American foreign policy expert, entrepreneur, and former U.S. Government official. From 2007 to 2009, Long served as the first woman confirmed by the U.S. Senate as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and as such, was the first female civilian four-star military equivalent in the history of the Pentagon. She led the International Security Affairs (ISA) office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense responsible for policy for the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. She was also the first woman ever to be appointed as Chair of NATO's High Level Group (HLG), the highest-level responsible for NATO's nuclear policy and reporting directly to the Secretary General of NATO.. Mary Beth is a licensed lawyer, and was an associate specializing in civil litigation matters at Williams & Connolly LLP from 1999 until 2004. Additionally, she has served as the CEO of three companies; Metis Solutions LLC, Askari Associates LLC, and MB Long & Associates PLLC. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and serves as a Distinguished Fellow for the Wilson Center.