Rear Admiral (Ret.) Donald P. Loren, United States Navy

Don Loren is an independent international, national and homeland security professional, and a leading edge provider of Advisory and Assistance Services to government and commercial business.  Prior to joining the private sector, Don was appointed as Bush administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security Integration, where he was responsible for strategic planning and policy development, capability and resource assessment, domestic and NATO/international partnership Defense Support of Civil Authority integration and capacity building, congressional activities, strategic communications, and education issues related to homeland defense and homeland security.  Additionally, in this capacity he represented the Department of Defense on the Homeland Security Council Domestic Readiness Group.  

Originally from Massapequa, New York, Don retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral, completing a thirty-one year naval career, where he spent fourteen years in at-sea billets, including command of the guided missile frigate USS ELROD and Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-EIGHT. He has participated in or commanded deployments with NATO forces, the South American navies of UNITAS, the navies of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, and the counter-narcotics forces of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  His career includes duty in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations where he served as Deputy Director of the Strategy and Policy Division, with responsibility for U.S. Navy strategic planning, policy development, and educational programs designed to prepare naval personnel as foreign area, national/international security, and joint service officers.  He was appointed to service on the congressionally mandated Commission on Roles and Missions of the U.S. Armed Forces as the lead for revisions to the U.S. Unified Command Plan, post-Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense command structure, and legislative liaison. He has served as NATO policy officer and principal staff NATO advisor for  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Colin Powell with responsibility for all U.S. military relationships with NATO, Partnership for Peace, and Mediterranean Dialogue nations.  He served as flag secretary for the Commander-in-chief U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and later as executive assistant and senior military advisor to the NATO Commander-in- chief Allied Forces Southern Europe. He served as Deputy Director for Surface Ships in the Surface Warfare Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he was responsible for all surface combatant requirements, including development of the Littoral Combat Ship and the Zumwalt class destroyer.  As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Richard Myers’ Deputy Director J-5 for Politico-Military Affairs (Europe, NATO, Russia, and Africa) Don was responsible for all U.S. military relationships in Eurasia, the former Soviet republics, and Africa, as well as U.S. military activities with the Department of State and foreign diplomatic missions, and mil to mil relationships in Iraq, and Afghanistan.  Subsequent to his naval career, Don served as a Senior National Intelligence Service Executive in the Office of the Director, National Intelligence, where he was assigned as the first Deputy for Operations Support  at the then newly created National Counterterrorism Center. At NCTC, Don was responsible for the 24 hour a day fusion of counterterrorism information in the operations center, publication of the daily terrorism threat matrix, and U.S. interagency support of national security special events, as well as counterterrorism intelligence sharing with international partners.

After leaving government service, he served as Special Assistant for National Security with The Tauri Group, a well respected innovator in systems-level strategic planning, technology assessment, and integration for the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the commercial sector for mission critical projects for homeland defense, homeland security, countering weapons of mass destruction, and critical infrastructure protection.  He is currently President and CEO of Old Dominion Strategies, an independent national and homeland security consulting company.

A 1974 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, his post-graduate education includes a Master of Science Degree (Education) from  the Old Dominion University Darden School of Education, a federal executive fellowship and certificate from the Harvard University Center for International Affairs, a fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies, and post graduate certificates from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship, the NATO Defense College, the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, the Department of State Foreign Service Institute, and the Center for Creative Leadership. Don is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and has completed the NACD “How to be a Director” course, and the “From Battlefield to Boardroom” executive program for board directors, and has achieved the designation as a Board Governance Fellow.  He serves as an adjunct lecturer for the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship in Syracuse, New York, The George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany, the Canadian Forces College in Ottawa, Canada, and the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  He also holds the position of Professor of Military Science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.   Additionally, he serves as a Senior Fellow and teaches segments of the Homeland Security Planners Course and the Joint Advanced Warfighting Course at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA.  Don is a member of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Homeland Security Intelligence Council, and is a coauthor of the Alliance’s recent monograph, “The Evolving Terrorist Threat and the Importance of Intelligence to Protect the Homeland.” He also serves as senior defense advisor to the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council, a group of Fortune 500 companies with significant homeland security business interests. Additionally, he is a member of numerous advisory boards and councils, and serves as a trustee of the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Governor of Virginia appointed Don to serve on the Virginia Military Advisory Council, where Don and the council serve the governor in maintaining a cooperative and constructive relationship between the Commonwealth and the leadership of the Armed Forces of the United States on issues affecting preparedness, public safety, and security.

He has been awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service,  Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and various personal, unit, and campaign awards. Additionally, he has received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy from the Italian government, has been awarded the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross and Conspicuous Service Star, and was awarded the 2007 Old Dominion University Distinguished Alumnus Award.  Don is a Naval Institute Press book author, and has also published numerous professional journal articles and papers.  He serves on the nonprofit boards of directors of the National Association of Uniformed Services, the America’s Adopt a Soldier Foundation, the Hope for the Warrior Foundation, the Rear Admiral James Carey Foundation, and the Mission Readiness Foundation.  He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, and enjoys marathon running.  Don is married to LtCol Maureen M. Lynch, USMC (Ret), and they have a son, Christopher.