Marcel Lettre serves as the principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence at the Defense Department, where he advises the defense secretary and Undersecretary Michael Vickers on intelligence affairs.
Lettre is also the program executive for the military intelligence program and represents the DoD on intelligence and sensitive operations to the CIA, other intelligence community components and the National Security Council.
He also holds the function as director of defense intelligence within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
He served as a special assistant to former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta and Bob Gates from 2011 to 2013, after his role as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs between 2009 and 2011.
Lettre was previously the senior defense and intelligence adviser and then as senior national security adviser to the U.S. Senate majority leader, with responsibility in shaping national security legislation and intelligence policy initiatives, supporting passage of annual defense and intelligence authorization bills and handling confirmation of senior defense and intelligence officials.
He also served as a professional staff member on the U.S. House of Representatives permanent select committee on intelligence from 2002 and 2005.
Lettre was previously an analyst for a global management consulting firm and held research roles at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nuclear Nonproliferation Project, the Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project chaired by William Perry and Ashton Carter.
He also served as analyst for a congressional commission that examines the organization and efficacy of the U.S. government regarding intelligence and programs to counter weapons of mass destruction.
Lettre holds a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.
