Diem Salmon

Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program

Strategy and Business Development, Anduril Industries

Research Areas

Diem Salmon currently works at Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, and is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). Diem has worked in the national security field for over 10 years, including the private sector, non-profit, and Congress, with a specific emphasis on defense budgets and requirements. Currently at Anduril, Diem is responsible for shaping business investment to best serve the needs of the Department of Defense.

Prior to that, she was the Budget Director and Deputy Policy Director for the Senate Armed Services Committee. While there, Diem worked on five annual National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) and navigated the committee and NDAAs through three separate budget deals. Her work at the committee included advocating for higher defense budgets, including the increase for FY 2018 and FY 2019, and passed legislation requiring the Department of Defense to reevaluate force design in light of the new National Defense Strategy. Diem was previously a Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation and worked at The Avascent Group, a management and strategy consulting firm.

Diem received a master’s degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with a concentration in International Economics and Strategic Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, the home of the anteater.

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