David Rader

David Rader is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He specializes in economic warfare, trade and investment policy, technology development, and national security.

Recently, Rader oversaw the research, analysis, strategy, and coordination unit of the economic defense unit in the Office of the Secretary of War (OSW). Previously, Rader worked at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). At DARPA, Rader worked on capital markets and critical materials projects. At OSC, Rader supported the design and implementation of the office’s investment strategy and served as its liaison to private capital partners. At DIU, Rader led the modernization of the business intelligence and due diligence practice, managed senior leader engagements, and worked to identify the best dual-use commercially available technologies. He has advised senior leadership of the OSW’s policy, acquisitions and sustainment, research and engineering, and intelligence and security teams on various topics regarding business intelligence, economic security, advanced technologies, commercialization strategies, and industrial production and manufacturing efforts. He has also advised senior leaders at the White House, National Security Council, combatant commands, military departments, and the intelligence community on a range of legal, regulatory, intelligence, policy, investment, and congressional issues.

Previously, Rader was the deputy director of global investment and economic security (GIES) at the Department of Defense. Rader oversaw an office of 80 people, and his portfolio focused on national economic security, foreign direct investment, trade and industrial policy, and all matters under the purview of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). He also led interdepartmental activities regarding macroeconomic modeling, supply chain risk management, complex due diligence and investigations, incentivizing technology development, industrial policy decision-making, and navigating legal or financial issues with senior government officials, Fortune 500 leaders, middle market business executives, law firm partners, entrepreneurs, finance professionals, and interagency and international partners.

Before serving in government, Rader was a manager in transaction advisory services at Ernst & Young, a vice president in the corporate and investment bank at J.P. Morgan, an associate in the national security research division at the RAND Corporation, a law clerk at the US Attorney’s Office and US Bankruptcy Court, and an infantryman in the US Army.

Rader is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, and an advisory board member of the Vandenberg Coalition. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Diplomat, National Review, The National Interest, The Hill, Security and Strategy, The Jerusalem Post, Washington Examiner, RealClearDefense, Defense News, and Lawfare.

Rader holds a BA in political science, an MA in government, a JD in corporate bankruptcy law, an MS in finance, an MBA in economics, and an MA in international relations.