LEON RATZ

Leon Ratz serves as Vice President of Mission Enablement at IB3 Global Solutions, where he leads the company's strategic advisory practice. The Mission Enablement business unit provides senior-level policy analysis, strategic studies, and subject-matter expertise to customers across the national security enterprise. Leon's Mission Enablement advisory work currently focuses on nuclear forensics, CBRN attribution, nuclear and biological deterrence, counterproliferation, and chemical and biological defense.

 

Previously, Leon served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction & Arms Control (DASD/TRAC). In this role, he served as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs for acquisition oversight, implementation, and compliance with nuclear, biological, and chemical treaties; cooperative threat reduction; chemical demilitarization programs; and building global partner capacity to counter weapons of mass destruction.

 

Earlier, Leon also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear & Countering WMD Policy, as well as Deputy Director for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense & Incident Response Policy. In those roles, Leon coordinated DoD CBRN defense engagements with key Allies and partners, provided policy guidance for modernization of DoD's CBRN Response Enterprise, and enhanced DoD CBRN defense support for Ukraine.

 

Prior to his time in OSD, Leon served as a Senior Program Officer at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), where he helped coordinate NTI's nuclear security engagement in eastern Europe and Central Asia. He also previously worked for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on assignment at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Leon is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He and his husband Jonah enjoy spending time with their dachshund Remy.