Rob Spalding
Rob Spalding is a national security strategist, author, and globally recognized authority on economic competition and geopolitical policy. A retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General with more than 25 years of military service, he serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SEMPRE, a defense technology firm providing military-grade, self-contained 5G private networks and high-performance edge computing infrastructure. During his tenure in the White House as Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council, Spalding’s strategic frameworks led to a major global shift in public policy and national security regarding 5G telecommunications and critical digital infrastructure. Throughout his military and diplomatic career, Spalding served in senior positions within the Pentagon and Department of State, including work as Chief China Strategist for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Beijing. In addition to leading SEMPRE, he is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the author of books examining global economic competition, cyber security, and modern warfare strategies.
Rob Spalding Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
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Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Staff
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Senior Director for Strategic Planning, NSC
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Senior Military Fellow
Academic History
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Ph.D., Economics and Mathematics
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M.S./B.S., Agricultural Economics
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Founder and CEO, SEMPRE
Commissioner for 5G/6G, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
Board Member, Jamestown Foundation
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Research Professor, Institute of World Politics
Senior Adviser, Center for American Defense Studies
AIR FORCE & DEFENSE LEADERSHIP
As Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council, Rob Spalding served as the Chief Architect for the strategic framework behind the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS).
His tenure in the White House focused on addressing complex foreign policy challenges, integrating economic competition into national defense policy, and formulating pragmatic solutions informed by his time as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Spalding's military career includes serving as a chief China strategist for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
A combat leader and diplomat, he commanded the 509th Operations Group, the nation's B-2 Stealth Bomber unit, where he drove technological and operational advances to improve unit readiness and performance.
MEDIA, PUBLICATIONS, & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Spalding has written extensively on national security, economic strategy, and technology policy.
His academic research and commentary appear frequently in leading publications, including Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, War on the Rocks, The Diplomat, Defense One, FedTech Magazine, and The American Interest. His Air Power Journal article, "America's Two Air Forces," is integrated into the West Point curriculum.
As a speaker, Spalding has delivered lectures at Columbia University, the Naval War College, the National Defense University, the Air War College, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
He regularly provides analysis on global economic and defense issues across major media networks, including FOX News, BBC, CNBC, and OAN.