The Senate on Tuesday voted 51-47 to confirm Thomas DiNanno, a national security leader, as the next under secretary of state for arms control and international security.
According to a congressional notice, President Donald Trump nominated DiNanno for the position in February.
In this capacity, DiNanno will be responsible for interagency policy on nonproliferation and for the U.S. security policy in the areas of arms control, defense relations and regional security.
Who Is Thomas DiNanno?
DiNanno currently serves as director for strategic resiliency and wargaming within the strategic deterrence and nuclear programs focus area at the University of Nebraska’s National Strategic Research Institute, or NSRI. The institute is a Department of Defense-designated university affiliated research center sponsored by U.S. Strategic Command.
Before joining NSRI, he served as a professional staff member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
From 2018 to 2021, DiNanno was with the State Department as senior bureau official and deputy assistant secretary for defense policy, emerging threats and outreach within the arms control, verification and compliance bureau.
His previous government roles include assistant administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; deputy assistant secretary for critical infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security; director of corporate relations at the White House Office of Homeland Security; and senior adviser and acting chief of staff at the Small Business Administration.
The newly confirmed under secretary served as senior fellow for homeland security and critical infrastructure protection at the International Assessment and Strategy Center between 2008 and 2017.
The Middlebury College economics graduate has a master’s degree in business and urban planning from MIT and a master’s degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania.