Daniel Feehan

Daniel Feehan is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. 

While serving until recently at the U.S. Department of Defense, Mr. Feehan served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness), Performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. In this role, he developed and oversaw policies and programs to ensure the U.S. military was ready for all missions assigned by the President and the Secretary of Defense, and that all servicemembers were ready for a successful transition to veteran status. He led a team of 300 people and oversaw an annual budget of $600 million.

Before this role, Mr. Feehan served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness) and as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He was selected to serve as a White House Fellow for President Obama in 2013. 

Mr. Feehan previously served in the active duty Army and the National Guard as an engineer officer, having been inspired to military service in the aftermath of the September 11^th attacks in 2001. He served two combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Ranger Tab. After leaving active duty, he sought to make an impact in social justice and became a middle school math teacher, serving low income students in Gary, Indiana through Teach For America.

Raised in Minnesota, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Politics from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Policy Degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.