Mr Stephens serves as the Mission Lead for Insider Threat and Director for Counterintelligence Research at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security.  In his role he has been leading the Mitigating Insider Risk Mission since Jan 2021.  Until then Mr Stephens served 11 years in the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service as the Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).  Prior to that role Mr Stephens served 27 years as a USAF officer in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, primarily counterintelligence (CI).

 

Mr. Stephens has enjoyed an extensive career of success in leading intelligence, CI, security, and counter-insider threat teams to defend the United States and Allied government and private sector interests in permissive, non-permissive, and coalition environments in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the United States. Mr. Stephens conceived, designed, and implemented counter-industrial espionage and CI operations globally to defend the private sector and industrial base. He pioneered the pan-governmental “Deliver Un-compromised” initiative beginning in 2010 and employed commercial due diligence techniques, including supply chain risk and insider threat efforts to deter, detect, and disrupt adversaries penetrating and exploiting U.S. and Allied industrial bases. Throughout his career, Mr. Stephens built deep practical expertise in CI, security, national security policy, defense industrial base security, and Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence.

 

Mr Stephens’ education includes B.S., Business Administration, Auburn University; M.S., Management, Central Michigan University; M.S., National Security Studies (East Asia—Philippines), U.S. Naval Postgraduate School; M.S., Strategic Resourcing, National Defense University. 

Notable training includes:

• CAPSTONE General and Flag Office Course, National Defense University

• Advanced Professional Executive (APEX) Senior Executive Services Orientation, Department of Defense

• Senior Managers in Government, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.