Kenneth N. Luongo is a recognized innovator, entrepreneur, and leader in global nuclear and transnational security policy. He is the president and founder of the Partnership for Global Security (PGS) and the Center for a Secure Nuclear Future. He has authored over 100 articles, been a TEDx presenter, engaged extensively with global media, and briefed governments and audiences around the world on nuclear and transnational security challenges and responses. Mr. Luongo’s policy analyses and commentary have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, CNN and numerous other international media and publications.
Mr. Luongo has created and led a number of cross-cutting international coalitions and private sector-policy expert partnerships that fuse diverse expertise to develop actionable, realistic responses to rapidly evolving security challenges. These include: the Global Nexus Initiative (GNI) a joint project with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to analyze the interrelationships among climate change, nuclear energy and global security; a partnership with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) to address biosecurity dangers; the Nuclear Security Governance Experts Group (NSGEG), that made groundbreaking recommendations for improving international nuclear security; the Nuclear Policy Leadership Initiative, designed to strengthen U.S.-South Korea partnership; and the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG), a nuclear policy coalition. He is a member of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition (NENSC) and the Advocacy Council of Nuclear Matters.
Mr. Luongo served from 1994-1997 as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy for Nonproliferation Policy and simultaneously as the Director of the Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation at the U.S. Department of Energy. At DoE he led the Russia and Newly Independent States Nuclear Material Security Task Force that initiated the first-ever successful effort to secure Russian weapon-grade nuclear materials and prevent “loose nukes”. This evolved into a multi-billion-dollar program. He also served as the Director of the Department of Energy’s North Korea Task Force, which secured the DPRK’s weapon-grade plutonium to prevent its use in a nuclear weapon.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Luongo was a Senior Visiting Fellow and Visiting Research Collaborator at Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security. He previously worked on Capitol Hill as the principal international security advisor on the staff of Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and William Proxmire (D-WI) and as a Subcommittee Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee. He also has been the Senior Washington Representative for Arms Control and International Security for the Union of Concerned Scientists and a Senior Program Associate with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, specializing in Science, Arms Control, and National Security.
Mr. Luongo is a graduate of Boston University’s School of Public Communication (now College of Communication) with a degree in journalism and received a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the American University School of International Service.
Selected Publications:
Missing the Big Picture on Nuclear Security, PGS, April 12, 2018.
Preventing a Nuclear Meltdown in the Middle East, The Hill, February 26, 2018.
Strengthening Nuclear Governance, PGS, January 1, 2018.
Nuclear Security 3.0, PGS, January 1, 2018.
Nuclear Geopolitics: Facing New Realities, PGS, January 1, 2018.
Nuclear Energy and Global Security in the 21st Century, PGS, January 1, 2018.
Nuclear Power for the Next Generation: Addressing Energy, Climate, and Security Challenges, with the Global Nexus Initiative, May 2, 2017.
Evolving Nuclear Governance for a New Era, with the Global Nexus Initiative, April 18, 2017.
A Framework for Advanced Reactor Deployment, with the Global Nexus Initiative, November 3, 2016.
Connecting the Dots to Fight Nuclear Terrorism and Climate Change, with Kenneth Brill, Huffington Post, March 29, 2016.
The Role and Responsibility of Nuclear Energy after Paris, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 21, 2016.
The Role and Responsibility of Nuclear Power in a Carbon Constrained World, with the Global Nexus Initiative, December 2015.
Strengthening Nuclear Security Implementation Initiative: Evolution, Status, and Next Steps, with Bart Dal and Jonathan Herbach, NSGEG, October 27, 2015.
Stopping a Nuclear Nightmare: How We Can Secure Loose Nuclear Materials, The National Interest, October 24, 2014.
Integrating Nuclear Security Policy & Technology: Asian Centers of Excellence, with Sarah Williams, CSIS Policy Perspectives, July 17, 2014.
Preventing Weak Links in Nuclear Security: A Strategy for Soft and Hard Governance, with Michelle Cann, NSGEG Policy Paper, March 20, 2014.
Responsibility Beyond Rules: Leadership for a Secure Nuclear Future, NSGEG Policy Paper, March 18, 2013.
Defining the End State of Improvement of Nuclear Security, NSGEG Conference Paper Series, November 14, 2012.
Nuclear Terrorism: A Clear Danger, with Kenneth Brill, The New York Times, March 15, 2012.