Daniel M. Gerstein is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Previously, he served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Under Secretary (Acting) and Deputy Under Secretary in the Science & Technology Directorate. He has extensive experience in security and defense while serving as a Senior Executive Service (SES) government civilian, in uniform, and in industry. He is also an adjunct professor at American University in Washington, D.C. In DHS S&T, he managed the directorate’s $1-billion budget and spearheaded several cross-departmental efforts in big data, cybersecurity, and biodefense.
Gerstein began his professional career in the U.S. Army, serving on four continents, participating in combat, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism, and homeland security. Following retirement from active duty, he joined L-3 Corporation as Vice President for Homeland Security Services. Before joining DHS, Gerstein was the Principal Director for Countering WMD in OSD (Policy). He also served on the Holbrooke Delegation that negotiated the peace settlement in Bosnia, established SOUTHCOM’s cybersecurity facility following 9/11, developed a biosurveillance system for DoD, and led the Army’s most comprehensive restructuring since WWII. He has been awarded many foreign, military, and civilian awards, including the U.S. Army Soldiers Medal for heroism.
He has published many books and articles on national security topics and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Gerstein graduated from West Point and has master’s degrees from Georgia Tech, National Defense University, and Army Command & General Staff College, and a Ph.D. from George Mason University.
