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Former Staff

Mandy Smithberger

Former Director of the Center for Defense Information

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Areas of Expertise

National security, Pentagon reform, revolving door

Mandy Smithberger rejoined POGO as the director of the Center for Defense Information in December 2014. Previously she was a national security policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) There, she worked on passing key provisions of the Military Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law, which expands protections by increasing the level of Inspector General review for complaints, requiring timely action on findings of reprisal, and increasing the time whistleblowers have to report reprisals. Previously an investigator with POGO, she was part of a team that received the Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine Award for contributions in the area of open government.

Mandy is an expert on national security, Pentagon reform and the Defense industry revolving door. She has appeared recently on CNN, Fox News and NPR, and she’s been cited by various outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Reuters, Politico, and Foreign Policy.

Mandy received her B.A. in government from Smith College and her Masters in Strategic Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. She also served as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Central Command.

Latest Work

  • Testimony: Watchdog Report Makes Case For Pentagon Reforms

    testimony | January 19, 2022

  • Spare Parts Contractor Profits from Broken System

    analysis | January 12, 2022

  • The Pentagon’s Yearly Blank Check

    analysis | November 15, 2021

  • Pentagon Spending Cuts Essential for Reform

    testimony | July 20, 2021

  • What Price “Defense”?

    analysis | June 29, 2021

  • Commercial Item Contracting Scam Continues

    analysis | June 25, 2021

  • Pentagon Spending Ripe for Reduction and Reform

    testimony | May 12, 2021

  • Joe Biden’s Pentagon Honeymoon

    analysis | May 11, 2021

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next

In The News

  • The strange case of the casino, the Senate leader and the defense bill

    January 12, 2022

  • Contractors play key role in Red Hill fuel storage operations

    January 03, 2022

  • Congress extends deadline to replace Pentagon oversight reports

    December 22, 2021

  • Why the US is paying more for the military after the Afghanistan war is over

    December 22, 2021

  • What Does the Defense Department Inspector General Report About Jan. 6 Actually Say?

    December 15, 2021

  • Liberals ‘Need to Get On the Defense Committees,’ If They Want Change

    December 14, 2021

  • Pentagon tester to restrict info on weapons programs, raising transparency concerns

    December 06, 2021

  • The Costs of War (to You)

    November 21, 2021

  • Former D.C. Guard commander demands Pentagon inspector general retract Jan. 6 report

    November 18, 2021

  • The CBO Outlines 3 Ways to Cut $1 Trillion From the Pentagon

    November 16, 2021

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