Derek S. Reveron

Derek Reveron specializes in cyber preparedness and national security policy analysis. He brings decades of experience in strategy development with work in dozens of countries. He currently chairs the National Security Affairs Department at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He oversees all aspects of teaching international security, regional studies, and foreign policy analysis for mid-career and senior leaders from 60 countries. He is also a part-time faculty affiliate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School where he co-teaches strategic problem-solving.  

His 2024 book Security in the Cyber Age: An Introduction to Policy and Technology breaks-down how cyberspace works, analyzes how state and non-state actors exploit vulnerabilities in cyberspace, and provides ways to improve cybersecurity.  

Derek Reveron served on the Rhode Island Cybersecurity Commission. As a governor-appointed commissioner, he worked closely with industry, government, and academia to develop Rhode Island’s strategic roadmap to promote resiliency of government operations, incorporate cybersecurity in public schools, and improve information sharing. Additionally, he served on the board of thinkers for the Boston Global Forum, which produced several technology and policy reports in support of G-7 summits that addressed cybersecurity.  A highly sought after speaker, Harvard University recognized him for innovative teaching. 

A retired Navy Captain, he brings 33 years of active and reserve military service with four tours as a commanding officer leading analytic units in support of operations in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, crisis management in the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center, and as a special advisor in Afghanistan. Responsible for developing training programs, mentoring a generation of leaders, and strategic planning, he twice received awards for leading large intelligence organizations. 

Reveron graduated with distinction from the College of Naval Command Staff and completed the Maritime Staff Operators Course at the U.S. Naval War College. He received an MA in political science and a Ph.D. in public policy analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago.