Earl G. Matthews

Earl G. Matthews is a decorated military veteran who served in key defense and intelligence positions at the highest levels of government.

Matthews brings to JINSA a distinguished record of service within the White House, the Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community. Under President Donald J. Trump, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council staff, where he was responsible for coordinating and implementing all defense policy matters that rose to the level of the President.

Prior to his White House service, Matthews was the Army’s Acting General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel, advising the Secretary of the Army on developing policy for a range of Army programs, including procurement, training and readiness of all U.S. land forces. His extensive record of government service also includes stints as a Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; a Special Counsel to the Director of National Intelligence, and an attorney and intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

A Philadelphia native, Matthews is a veteran of combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan and continues to serve today as a Colonel in the Army Reserve. He holds a B.A. from Villanova University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and master’s degrees from the National Intelligence University, the Georgetown University Law Center and the U.S. Army War College.

Matthews is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the Department of the Army Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.  His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Bronze Star Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.