Dr. Mark Schneider is a Senior Analyst with the National Institute for Public Policy. He joined the staff of the National Institute in September 2004 to provide on-site support to the Defense Policy Analysis Office of the Defense Logistic Agency. He specializes in missile defense policy, nuclear weapons, deterrence, strategic forces, arms control, and arms control verification and compliance issues.
Before his retirement from the Department of Defense, Dr. Schneider served in a number of senior positions within the Office of Secretary of Defense for Policy including Principal Director for Forces Policy, Principal Director for Strategic Defense, Space and Verification Policy, Director for Strategic Arms Control Policy and Representative of the Secretary of Defense to the Nuclear Arms Control Implementation Commissions. He also served in the senior Foreign Service as a Member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff, the Professional Staff of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Department of Energy, the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Atomic Energy Commission. Prior to his government career, Dr. Schneider served as a Senior Political Scientist with the BMD Corporation, a policy analyst with the Stanford Research Institute and taught at the University of Southern California and California State University at Los Angeles.
Dr. Schneider served as a member of the DoD Compliance Review Group. He chaired several working groups of the START and INF Treaty Implementation Commissions (JCIC and SVC) in Geneva, negotiating many implementation agreements with the successor states of the former Soviet Union. He most recently served as Acting Chairman of the U.S.-Russia Working Group on Missile Defense.
Dr. Schneider earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of Southern California and Juris Doctorate from George Washington University. He was admitted to the Bar of Washington DC in 1977 and Maryland in 1978.
Dr. Schneider has been awarded two Presidential Rank Awards of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service, the Secretary of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal and two Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medals.
Dr. Schneider is the author of many articles, book reviews and book chapters on arms control, nuclear deterrence, strategic forces and intelligence issues.