Atlantic Council

Biography

Marshall Billingslea

Marshall Billingslea is a Strategy & Operations Director within Deloitte Consulting LLP and member of the Atlantic Council Strategic Advisors Group. He is responsible for supporting Deloitte's work with NATO and the European Union, and for supporting the U.S. Special Operations and Intelligence communities.

Marshall joined Deloitte after having served for more than a decade in a number of very senior positions within the U.S. Federal Government and overseas. His most recent position as the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy gave him overall responsibility for Navy and Marine Corps defense policy and planning, as well as oversight of all Navy Department intelligence and special operations activities. Marshall also served as the Navy Secretary’s “number two” on a wide range of issues, including as a member of the Pentagon’s Deputy’s Advisory Working Group — the Department of Defense (DoD) body that oversees all long-range planning and budget development.

Prior to that, Marshall was the Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Defense Investment, and was the United States’ senior civilian official serving within the alliance. As such, he was Chairman of the Conference of National Armament Directors (CNAD), oversaw the operation of NATO’s military investment programs and infrastructure budget, and served as Chairman of NATO’s C3 Board. The majority of the NATO Agencies reported to the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council through Marshall’s Defense Investment Division. Marshall’s accomplishments at NATO include the creation of NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability (comprising military cargo aircraft), the founding of NATO’s Special Operations Coordination Center, and the launching of the alliance’s active, layered theater ballistic missile defense (ALTBMD) program.

Marshall was appointed to NATO after serving as the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, overseeing all DoD special operations efforts against al’Qaida following the 9/11 attacks. During his tenure, he expanded the budget of U.S. Special Operations Command by 47 percent, increased the number of Army Special Forces and SEAL operators, and was a principal architect of DoD’s worldwide effort against terrorist organizations.

Other previous positions include that of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy (DoD’s treaty negotiator), and Senior Professional Staff Member for National Security Affairs on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Marshall holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, where he graduated cum laude with high honors. He also holds a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Tufts University. He has been decorated with the Cross of Terra Mariana by the President of Estonia; the Knight’s Cross by the President of Poland; and the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Czech Republic. He has been twice awarded the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the U.S. Secretary of Defense.  He also has been decorated by the U.S. Secretary of the Navy with the Distinguished Public Service medal. He has been published in a wide variety of newspapers and journals, and he has appeared on both television and radio programs.