Elizabeth M. Phu currently serves on the faculty of the
Department of National Security and Economic Policy at the
National Defense University’s Eisenhower School. Ms. Phu is a
member of the career Senior Executive Service and she has been
in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) for Policy since
2000 when she started as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Ms. Phu was most recently the Principal Director for the
Secretariat for Special Operations, responsible for providing
oversight of the organization, training, and equipping of special
operations forces. During her OSD tenure, she has held a number of positions, including Director for Space Engagement Policy, Director for Global Threats, Country Director for Southeast Asia, and Assistant for NATO Policy.

Phu has also served on the National Security Council (NSC) Staff twice, most recently as Director for Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Asian Security Affairs in 2013-2015. She was previously Director for Southeast Asia on the NSC Staff in 2007-2009.

Phu is a graduate of the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University, where she earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy and was awarded the Commandant’s Award for Excellence in Research in Writing. Phu also has a Master of Pacific International Affairs with a focus on Southeast Asia from the Graduate School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley. Phu was a Council of Foreign Relations Term Member and is currently a member of Pacific Council on International Policy.