Thomas Duffy

Tom Duffy is a retired American diplomat and naval officer. His interests are naval history and maritime strategy. Tom’s assignments over his 38-year overall career with the US Government included service aboard USS Cochrane (DDG-21) during the Tanker War and as a maritime strategist in the Pentagon with the US Navy’s Strategic Concepts Group (OP-603). He retired from the US Navy Reserve as a Commander.

After joining the US Foreign Service, he served primarily in the Middle East, including as the first State Department Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) with the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain and as US Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Tom spent ten years working on United Nations affairs: four in the Security Council in New York; three running the office overseeing Security Council affairs at the State Department, and three as the US representative to the UN Food Security Agencies in Rome. He also spent two tours teaching national security strategy at the US National War College.

Tom holds a BA in Government from Notre Dame and an MA in War Studies from King’s College, London. He is a graduate of the US Naval War College and was elected an Associate of King’s College, London.