Brett Holmgren
Brett M. Holmgren was appointed by the President as the acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) effective July 18, 2024. NCTC is the United States Government’s primary organization responsible for integrating, analyzing, and sharing information to protect the United States from terrorism and achieve national counterterrorism objectives.
Prior to NCTC, Mr. Holmgren served for nearly three years as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.
During the Obama administration, Mr. Holmgren served on the National Security Council staff as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Director for Counterterrorism. He also served at the Department of Defense as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was responsible for the intelligence, cybersecurity, technology and special operations portfolios.
Before returning to government service in 2021, Mr. Holmgren was an executive at Capital One Financial, where he oversaw the company’s technology risk management practice. He also served as Deputy for Nominations on the Biden-Harris Transition Team.
Mr. Holmgren began his career as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, and later as a senior analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As an analyst, he deployed to warzones to provide support to counterterrorism operations.
Mr. Holmgren is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Director of National Intelligence Superior Service Award, the CIA Director’s Award, the CIA Hostile Action Service Medal, and the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
He holds a B.A. in political science and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a M.A. in global security studies, summa cum laude, from the Johns Hopkins University.
