Russell Rumbaugh

Russell Rumbaugh is the deputy executive director of the Center for Space Policy (CSPS) at The Aerospace Corporation. CSPS supports strategic-level customers across the nation’s civil, intelligence, and defense space agencies and conducts policy-level thought leadership research for Aerospace.

Rumbaugh returns to Aerospace after providing distinguished service as the assistant secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller. Prior government experience included serving twice in the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (which manages the entire Department of Defense’s resourcing process) and as both professional staff in the Senate and personal staff in the House of Representatives—collective experience providing Rumbaugh an end-to-end view of how U.S. national security is resourced.

Rumbaugh has devoted substantial depth of study to these processes; besides his time at CSPS, he has also worked at the Congressional Research Service and the Stimson Center, which advances international security and collective growth through applied research and independent analysis, global engagement, and policy innovation. He has taught graduate-level courses at Georgetown University, George Mason University, and the University of Maryland. He has published widely, including in the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, Joint Force Quarterly, and the New York Times.

Education  

Rumbaugh holds degrees in political science and security studies from the University of Chicago and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Awards and Honors  

Rumbaugh was awarded the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award as well as the Secretary of Defense’s medals for Outstanding Civilian Service and Exceptional Civilian Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Society for Defense Financial Managers.